There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the ongoing free agency of Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but the New York Mets reportedly remain in the running.

According to SNY's Andy Martino, "The Mets, long an underdog in this race, are actually in it. With perhaps a week to go before Yamamoto chooses a team, [Mets owner Steve Cohen] and company appear to have steadily improved their standing."

Martino noted that over the past few months, the Mets "seemed close to an afterthought here" behind the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and the other "historic" franchises in pursuit of Yamamoto. Martino further explained the Mets playing second fiddle to the Yankees in New York impacted their standing in the eyes of the 25-year-old.

"Cohen is working to build the team into a powerful brand, and the bet here is that he will eventually succeed," Martino stated. "But there is nothing the current regime can do to instantly make the Mets as accomplished, iconic, or recognized internationally as the Dodgers, Red Sox, [San Francisco] Giants, [Chicago] Cubs, and especially Yankees. The Mets are well aware that Yamamoto might not have even heard of them while growing up."

The Mets also were behind in the race due to their new front office regime, which didn't get the chance to scout Yamamoto during his 2023 season with the Orix Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball. That job belonged to former general manager Billy Eppler, who resigned from the position in October.

However, Martino pointed out that "the vibe began to shift" after Cohen and the team's new president of baseball operations David Stearns visited Yamamoto in Japan two weeks ago. The Mets were believed to "have somehow climbed into a solid position" following the meeting, and they are now "in the top two or three candidates" for Yamamoto even though there's no clear frontrunner.

It will be interesting to see how things play out, as Yamamoto is the most coveted player remaining on the open market and his decision will surely have ramifications on the rest of this offseason's free agents.