Brian Cashman of the Yankees asserts that New York placed First in the Superstar sweepstakes.

The New York Yankees appear to have come extremely close to signing a prominent free agent this offseason. With the goal of strengthening the starting rotation and outfield, New York went into the summer. The Yankees completed both tasks and enjoyed a fruitful offseason. They were on the verge of landing on another star, despite this. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the former ace of the Orix Buffaloes, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Yankees were unable to sign him. Yamamoto was allegedly offered a huge deal by New York, but they were unable to agree.

It’s not that the Yankees weren’t close, though. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made it sound like the club finished in second place for the young star while appearing on the “Talkin’ Yanks” podcast. “We were confident we did everything we possibly could,” Cashman said. “He came down to a very difficult decision between us and the Dodgers. We did everything right but we can’t necessarily simulate California West Coast.” New York pivoted and signed two-time All-Star Marcus Stroman to help the rotation. The Yankees have been linked to other starters since and there’s a real chance another deal gets done. Read more at.