Much like when the baseball community impatiently awaited Shohei Ohtani’s free agency decision, the same remained true with Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s future. Everyone wants to know where the Japanese superstar will pitch in the United States, and his decision seemed to be causing a wait-and-see approach from MLB front offices.
The wait is now over, with YES Network’s Jack Curry reporting Yamamoto will sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jeff Passan reports Yamamoto is signing a 12-year, $325 million contract, which sets a new record for a player joining MLB from Nippon Professional Baseball. He’s also getting a signing bonus of $50 million, and unlike the Ohtani deal, it includes no deferrals.
Not only is Ohtani setting a new record for a player making his MLB debut coming from another league, he’s now the highest-paid rookie in MLB history. Yamamoto doesn’t quite crack the list of highest-paid MLB players, but the 25-year-old is one of the highest-paid pitchers in baseball.
By joining the Dodgers, Yamamoto helps fill in for what Ohtani won’t be able to provide on the mound in 2024. Meanwhile, in 2025, the Dodgers could be looking at a rotation led by Ohtani, Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and whichever other big name they lure to Los Angeles in the next year or more.
After becoming a five-time All-Star in the NPB, where Yamamoto won the Triple Crown and Pacific League MVP three times, he’ll now look to become a winner in MLB too. By joining the Dodgers, Yamamoto should have no trouble of finding immediate success.
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