Posted Updated – Dec. 17 at 8:24 pm ET:

According to Jon Heyman of the NY Post the second meeting between the Yankees and Yamamoto, which occurred today, was requested by Yamamoto.

Andy Martino of SNY further confirmed that Yamamoto was also the one that requested a second meeting with New York.

Original Post –

According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, highly-coveted free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto and a Mets’ contingent had dinner at New York Mets’ owner Steve Cohen’s house on Saturday night. The report confirms that the group included Cohen, his wife Alex, president of baseball operations David Stearns, manager Carlos Mendoza, and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.

Andy Martino of SNY confirmed that the Mets have yet to make an offer but certainly will at the right time. Just as recent as yesterday, it was reported the offers Yamamoto has already received are in excess of $300 million. The 25-year-old, whenever he does sign, will be receiving a massive contract, one that likely rivals the 10-year mark in length and will likely smash the record for length received by a starting pitcher.

As for how exactly the meeting went, Will Sammon of the Athletic described the dinner by saying, “the participants enjoy[ed] the hospitality and the free-flowing conversation leading to a generally good connection.” Sammon summarized the meeting by saying, “The Cohens hosted Yamamoto seemingly in hopes of offering a nice, personal touch, one that may help distinguish the Mets from other clubs.” Overall, the meeting, “went well,” according to Sammon’s sources.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports

The above reported meeting is the second meeting the Mets have had with Yamamoto. Owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns also already met with the right-handed starter in Japan a few months back.

As for what is next, Sammon continued by explaining the actual biding process is supposed to intensify this week. Specifically, the window to sign the Japanese ace closes at 5:00 pm ET on January 4. So a deal is certainly expected before then.

The Mets are not the only team who reportedly got to meet with Yamamoto twice. The New York Yankees are reportedly set to meet with him as early as today according to SNY‘s Andy Martino. However, Martino did confirm that this meeting, “was rather hastily scheduled once he was in the area.”

Yamamoto would be a huge get for the Mets, who desperately need an ace starter in a rotation that is severely lacks five quality starters. Along with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, the Mets have always been one of the plethora teams tied with Yamamoto this offseason.