The New York Yankees’ admiration for Japanese standout starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is genuine, and they have been preparing for his potential arrival for the past year. As reported by SNY’s Andy Martino, the Yankees have held aside his preferred jersey number, 18, since the beginning of the 2023 season.

According to the report, No. 18 has been Yamamoto’s jersey number with the Nippon Professional Baseball’s Orix Buffaloes and holds significance as the “ace” number in Japan.

Martino mentioned that the Yankees refrained from assigning No. 18 to any of their players last season; it was worn by outfielder Andrew Benintendi in 2022. Having scouted Yamamoto for at least the past year, the Yankees are considered strong contenders to secure his services. The Yankees are envisioning a formidable 1-2 pitching duo with Yamamoto complementing Gerrit Cole.

Yankees remain focused on Yamamoto

Yamamoto, at the age of 25, is anticipated to secure a lucrative, long-term deal surpassing $200 million, in addition to the posting fee. This right-handed power pitcher, a three-time recipient of the Japanese Cy Young equivalent, boasts an impressive career with the Orix Buffaloes, holding a remarkable 1.72 ERA over seven seasons. In the last season, his dominance continued, with a stellar 1.21 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and an impressive 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings across 171 frames.

It’s noteworthy that the iconic No. 18 jersey, worn by former Japanese pitcher Hiroki Kuroda throughout his professional baseball career, including his tenure with the Yankees from 2012-2014, holds significance. Another Japanese pitcher, Masahiro Tanaka, chose to wear No. 19 as a gesture of respect to Kuroda during their overlapping time on the team for one season.

Yamamoto’s posting occurred at the end of November, and his 45-day signing window commenced on Nov. 21. He holds the opportunity to sign a deal with a major league team until Jan. 4 at 5 p.m. ET. As reported by Martino, Yamamoto is actively participating in phone calls and Zoom meetings and is expected to attend in-person meetings during the Winter Meetings from Dec. 4-7.

However, the Yankees have to compete with the Mets to secure Yamamoto.

Yankees Who Wore No 18		Year
Wilcy Moore		1929 New York Yankees
Bill Henderson		1930 New York Yankees
Lou McEvoy		1930 New York Yankees
Tom Zachary		1930 New York Yankees
Red Ruffing		1931 New York Yankees
Johnny Allen		1932 New York Yankees
Johnny Allen		1933 New York Yankees
Johnny Allen		1934 New York Yankees
Johnny Allen		1935 New York Yankees
Art Jorgens		1936 New York Yankees
Art Jorgens		1937 New York Yankees
Art Jorgens		1938 New York Yankees
Art Jorgens		1939 New York Yankees
Steve Peek		1941 New York Yankees
Johnny Lindell		1942 New York Yankees
Johnny Lindell		1943 New York Yankees
Johnny Johnson		1944 New York Yankees
Tuck Stainback		1945 New York Yankees
Karl Drews		1946 New York Yankees
Randy Gumpert		1946 New York Yankees
Randy Gumpert		1947 New York Yankees
Randy Gumpert		1948 New York Yankees
Bob Porterfield		1948 New York Yankees
Fenton Mole		1949 New York Yankees
Bob Porterfield		1949 New York Yankees
Dave Madison		1950 New York Yankees
Bob Porterfield		1950 New York Yankees
Jack Kramer		1951 New York Yankees
Bob Muncrief		1951 New York Yankees
Jim McDonald		1952 New York Yankees
Ray Scarborough		1952 New York Yankees
Jim McDonald		1953 New York Yankees
Jim McDonald		1954 New York Yankees
Don Larsen		1955 New York Yankees
Don Larsen		1956 New York Yankees
Don Larsen		1957 New York Yankees
Don Larsen		1958 New York Yankees
Don Larsen		1959 New York Yankees
Eli Grba		1960 New York Yankees
Fred Kipp		1960 New York Yankees
Hal Reniff		1961 New York Yankees
Hal Reniff		1962 New York Yankees
Hal Reniff		1963 New York Yankees
Hal Reniff		1964 New York Yankees
Hal Reniff		1965 New York Yankees
Hal Reniff		1966 New York Yankees
Steve Barber		1967 New York Yankees
Hal Reniff		1967 New York Yankees
Steve Barber		1968 New York Yankees
Mike Kekich		1969 New York Yankees
Mike Kekich		1970 New York Yankees
Mike Kekich		1971 New York Yankees
Mike Kekich		1972 New York Yankees
Mike Hegan		1973 New York Yankees
Mike Kekich		1973 New York Yankees
Dave Pagan		1973 New York Yankees
Mike Hegan		1974 New York Yankees
Larry Murray		1974 New York Yankees
Dave Bergman		1975 New York Yankees
Larry Murray		1975 New York Yankees
Ellie Hendricks		1976 New York Yankees
Tippy Martinez		1976 New York Yankees
Ellie Hendricks		1977 New York Yankees
Dennis Sherrill		1978 New York Yankees
Brian Doyle		1979 New York Yankees
Brian Doyle		1980 New York Yankees
Larry Milbourne		1981 New York Yankees
Larry Milbourne		1982 New York Yankees
Mike Patterson		1982 New York Yankees
Andre Robertson		1982 New York Yankees
Rodney Scott		1982 New York Yankees
Andre Robertson		1983 New York Yankees
Andre Robertson		1984 New York Yankees
Andre Robertson		1985 New York Yankees
Claudell Washington		1986 New York Yankees
Claudell Washington		1987 New York Yankees
Claudell Washington		1988 New York Yankees
Jamie Quirk		1989 New York Yankees
Randy Velarde		1989 New York Yankees
Randy Velarde		1990 New York Yankees
Randy Velarde		1991 New York Yankees
Randy Velarde		1992 New York Yankees
Randy Velarde		1993 New York Yankees
Randy Velarde		1994 New York Yankees
Randy Velarde		1995 New York Yankees
Mariano Duncan		1996 New York Yankees
Mariano Duncan		1997 New York Yankees
Andy Fox		1997 New York Yankees
Scott Brosius		1998 New York Yankees
Scott Brosius		1999 New York Yankees
Scott Brosius		2000 New York Yankees
Scott Brosius		2001 New York Yankees
Marcus Thames		2002 New York Yankees
Jeff Weaver		2002 New York Yankees
Jeff Weaver		2003 New York Yankees
Homer Bush		2004 New York Yankees
John Olerud		2004 New York Yankees
Bubba Crosby		2005 New York Yankees
Andy Phillips		2005 New York Yankees
Johnny Damon		2006 New York Yankees
Johnny Damon		2007 New York Yankees
Johnny Damon		2008 New York Yankees
Johnny Damon		2009 New York Yankees
Chad Moeller		2010 New York Yankees
Andruw Jones		2011 New York Yankees
Hiroki Kuroda		2012 New York Yankees
Hiroki Kuroda		2013 New York Yankees
Hiroki Kuroda		2014 New York Yankees
Didi Gregorius		2015 New York Yankees
Didi Gregorius		2016 New York Yankees
Didi Gregorius		2017 New York Yankees
Didi Gregorius		2018 New York Yankees
Didi Gregorius		2019 New York Yankees
Rougned Odor		2021 New York Yankees
Andrew Benintendi		2022 New York Yankee