When the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers were reportedly battling it out for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it became apparent that Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman made one thing clear, as they do with most free agents — there is a limit to how far they are willing to go.
After the dust settled and Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with LA, reports surfaced that the Dodgers were always his preferred destination and that New York was believed to be a negotiating chip to further drive up the price. It's certainly believable, and we don't doubt it for a second.