Yoshinobu Yamamoto excited to play with Shohei Ohtani, but he wasn’t the only reason he signed with the Dodgers
The Dodgers have spent more than $1 billion in free agency moves already this offseason
While 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 in Los Angeles. The team signed Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325 million deal in just their latest massive free-agency move of this offseason. It came on the heels of their record deal with another 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 L.A. 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.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto says he would've "probably still ended up in L.A. as a Dodger" even if Shohei Ohtani didn't sign with them pic.twitter.com/NlmiZh0NVk
— SNY (@SNYtv) December 27, 2023
Yamamoto is perhaps the best pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball history. After making his debut at 18, Yamamoto recorded a 1.82 career ERA. The past three seasons, 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 earned the largest pitching contract in MLB history, signing 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 it 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 more than $1 billion in free agency this offseason. Outside of Yamamoto, the team landed Ohtani in a massive, 10-year, $700 million deal. That shattered the MLB record and included massive deferrals that will lead to most of Ohtani's 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 the past 11 seasons but have won the World Series just once in that time. They were knocked out in the NLDS the past two campaigns and were swept 3-0 in that series by the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this fall.
