Yamamoto willing to play anywhere, says agent

It appears star Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto doesn't have his eye on a specific location as he considers his options in free agency.

Yamamoto's agent, Joel Wolfe, said Wednesday that the 25-year-old is willing to play anywhere in Major League Baseball and isn't opposed to joining a team with a Japanese player already on its roster.

Yamamoto was officially posted by Major League Baseball earlier this week. Interested clubs have until Jan. 4 to negotiate a contract with the three-time Sawamura Award winner as Japan's top pitcher.

Numerous teams have reportedly shown interest in signing Yamamoto, including the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants.

"This is by far the player with the most interested teams that I have ever seen at the beginning of free agency," Wolfe said.

Yamamoto enjoyed an excellent seven-year career with Nippon Professional Baseball's Orix Buffaloes. He posted a 70-29 record with a sparkling 1.82 ERA and 922 strikeouts across 897 innings.

"It's what we call a perfect storm, where you have one of the finest young pitchers in the world who also is just 25 years old," Wolfe said. "It's generational. Something like this only happens once every 10 or 15 years."