Japanese superstar is getting closer to Major League Baseball, both literally and figuratively. According to , the 25-year-old right-hander is coming to the United States within the next week to begin in-person meetings with his MLB suitors. As previously reported by , Yamamoto planned to hold initial meetings with all interested teams over the phone or Zoom before traveling to North America to meet with the finalists for his services. Presumably, the phone call stage of the proce s is Eric Robinson Jersey wrapping up, which suggests the star pitcher has already begun to narrow down his options. It remains unclear how many teams Yamamoto will be speaking with, although Puma reports that the Mets are one of the clubs to secure a meeting with the five-time NPB All-Star. Martinos initial report indicated that Yamamoto would not sign until after the Winter Meetings, and Pumas update seems to confirm that timeline. While the righty must sign before his posting window closes on January 4 (if he is going to sign with an MLB team at all), that still gives him just over a month to make his choice. There might not be much news about Yamamoto during the Winter Meetings, but still, it will be interesting to see how his timeline affects the rest of the starting pitching market. are pursuing the righty, and they might prefer to wait until he signs elsewhere before turning to Plan B. Similarly, frontline starters like and might bewaiting for Yamamoto to set the market, which could make this a quiet week on the starting pitching front. Then again, perhaps teams with starters to trade will take advantage of such a lull; of the Rays and of the White Sox are already as the Winter Meetings get underway. Justin Williams Jersey