It appears that the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes may reach an unprecedented price tag.

Jim Bowden of CBS Sports reported that the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox made "strong recent push" for the Japanese pitcher that included contract offers that exceed $300 million.

This would be a significant step up from New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga's five-year, $75 million deal from last offseason and would more than double former New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka's $155 million deal from 2014, which is the current highest ever for a Japanese player coming over to MLB.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Wednesday that Yamamoto could receive the longest contract for a pitcher in MLB history, a mark that is currently held by former Cleveland pitcher Wayne Garland, who signed a 10-year deal with the team in the 1970s.

This is quite the risk for a team to take on given Yamamoto's lack of MLB experience. This is perhaps even more top-of-mind for Red Sox fans, considering the Daisuke Matsuzaka contract from 2006.

However, Yamamoto appears to be as close to a sure thing as one can get. He has compiled a 70-29 overall record in Nippon Professional Baseball with a career ERA of 1.82. He is coming off a season where he went 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA.

He is a five-time All-Star. three-time triple crown winner, three-time Pacific League MVP, three-time Sawamura Award winner, and helped the Orix Buffaloes win the 2022 Japan Series. He's just 25 years old and should have much more long-term longevity than someone like Senga, who was entering his age-30 season when he signed with the Mets.

While the Red Sox and Giants appear to be ready to open their wallets to bring in Yamamoto, the two clubs are far from this only suitors. The New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs have all been involved in his process, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees have been looked at as favorites to land him.