The Phillies have made an offer to prized free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto, according to multiple reports.
Philadelphia has planned to be “aggressive” in its pursuit of Yamamoto but is not the favorite to land the right-hander, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The National League East ballclub met with Yamamoto last week and as part of the pitch, he received a FaceTime from Bryce Harper, MLB Network reported Monday.
The Phillies have had their eye on Yamamoto for months, according to The Athletic, and they had increased their scouting presence in Japan over the past two years.
Yamamoto has held in-person meetings with the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers and Giants.
And with the pursuit of the Japanese star hurler so competitive, the Phillies could have a larger hill to climb in order to get Yamamoto to sign.
On Wednesday, The Post’s Jon Heyman listed the Phillies as a team in the mix, but one person told the baseball insider that they wondered how Philadelphia would pull it off.
The Phillies have little history of landing Japanese players, with the franchise never having signed a player to a major league contract directly from Japan, per The Athletic.
The club has only had two Japanese players ever in franchise history: So Taguchi and Tadahito Iguchi.
Neither player was with the Phillies past 2008.
MLB Network reported Tuesday that Yamamoto wants to pitch on the “biggest stage in MLB.”
Whether that description fits the Phillies — who have won a pennant and fell short of another in the last two years — is unclear.
Bidding for Yamamoto could go above $300 million, and ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Wednesday that the Yankees have a “quiet confidence” they have a “real shot” at the Japanese ace.
A decision by Yamamoto could come by the end of the week, according to SNY.
Yamamoto has until Jan. 4 to decide which major league club he wants to sign with.
