Though it certainly didn’t hurt the cause, Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s move to land with the Los Angeles Dodgers wasn’t dependent on Shohei Ohtani.
The Dodgers officially announced the signing of the Japanese phenom on Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles. The team signed Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million deal in just their latest massive free agency move this offseason. It also came on the heels of their record deal with fellow Japanese star Shohei Ohtani earlier this winter.
Yamamoto, who reportedly had multiple other massive offers, said Wednesday that he was probably coming to the Dodgers regardless of the Ohtani signing — though it certainly helped sway him in the right direction.
“I wouldn’t say he was the sole reason I decided to come here. Even if he went somewhere else, I probably still would have ended up in LA as a Dodger,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “On top of that, Shohei is obviously not only just one of the best Japanese players, but he’s one of the best players period in all of MLB. To be able to play with him here on out means a lot to me.”
Yamamoto is perhaps the best pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball history. After making his debut at 18, Yamamoto recorded a 1.82 career ERA. Over the past three years, Yamamoto has won a Japan Series title, a World Baseball Classic title, three pitching Triple Crowns, three Pacific League MVPs and three Sawamura Awards, which is the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young award. He’s the first player since Ichiro Suzuki to win three straight MVP awards in the league, and only the second pitcher to win the award three times.
As a result, . Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers earlier this month. That topped Gerrit Cole’s $324 million deal with the New York Yankees in 2019. Yamamoto’s contract did not contain any deferrals, unlike Ohtani’s deal, but does reportedly include a pair of opt-outs.
“You don’t win three MVP awards by the age of 25 without an exceptional combination of talent, work ethic and mental toughness,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in a statement.
“He’s an elite pitcher with an impressive dedication to his craft who will only become more dynamic in a Dodger uniform. We are thrilled for him to be a mainstay at the top of our starting rotation for years to come.”
The Dodgers have spent over $1 billion in free agency this offseason. Outside of Yamamoto, the team landed . That deal shattered the MLB record, and also included massive deferrals that will lead to most of his salary being paid after the end of the contract. The Dodgers also traded for pitcher Tyler Glasnow, and signed him to a five-year, $136.5 million extension.
“It has been an exciting couple of weeks for the Dodgers community,” general manager Brandon Gomes said, via MLB.com. “And being able to add a starting pitcher as decorated and talented as Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a great way to wrap up 2023 and to add to what we expect to be a thrilling 2024 season.”
The Dodgers are set to open the 2024 season on March 20 against the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers have been to the playoffs in each of the past 11 seasons, but have won the World Series just once. They were knocked out in the NLDS in the last two campaigns, and were swept 3-0 there by the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this fall.
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