The Yankees are getting more face time with Yoshinobu Yamamoto while is in the area.
After the star Japanese right-hander dined on Saturday night at Steve Cohen’s Connecticut home with a Mets contingent, Yamamoto met with the Yankees again on Sunday, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported.
The Yankees meeting was requested by Yamamoto, according to Heyman.
The second get-together comes almost a week after a Yankees group – including Hal Steinbrenner, Brian Cashman, Randy Levine, Aaron Boone and Matt Blake – visited with Yamamoto in Los Angeles.
The Yankees are far from alone in their pursuit of the coveted free agent, with the Mets, Dodgers, Giants, Red Sox, Phillies and Blue Jays also making a run at the 25-year-old ace.
The crowded competition of big-market teams is poised to land the 25-year-old Yamamoto upwards of $300 million when all is said and done.
The bidding process is set to intensify this week, The Post’s Joel Sherman reported earlier on Sunday, with Yamamoto expected to finalize a deal before the new year.
The Yankees already reeled in star outfielder Juan Soto in a trade earlier this month, but they have since turned their full attention to Yamamoto – the three-time winner of Nippon Professional Baseball’s equivalent of the Cy Young award – in hopes of fortifying their rotation.
Signing him would likely push their luxury tax payroll north of $300 million, but they appear willing to make that plunge in order to land a pitcher of his caliber and age.
The Yankees have scouted Yamamoto extensively, a process that included Cashman flying to Japan in September to watch him throw a no-hitter.