The Los Angeles Dodgers have won the second major sweepstakes of the MLB offseason, landing Japanese right hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto with a contract reportedly worth more than $300 million.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the news on Thursday night that Yamamoto was signing with LA for 12 years and $325 million, joining his fellow countryman Shohei Ohtani in blue — and giving the two-way star another reason to enjoy his time at the Rams-Saints game on Thursday night.
The 25-year-old Yamamoto was always expected to get a massive deal after posting a 1.16 ERA, 0.884 WHIP and 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings rate in Japan last year. But the Dodgers spending more than $1 billion this offseason on just two players is a bit harder to process.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto's deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers is the largest contract for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history, beating Gerrit Cole's deal by $1 million. Furthermore, the Dodgers will pay an additional $50.6 million in posting fee. Total outlay: 12 years, $375M.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 22, 2023
Acquiring Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Yamamoto puts an already World Series-caliber roster into the stratosphere. Or at least it does on paper, anyway.
Baseball fans tried to take it all in.