What had already been a wildly successful offseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers front office added another triumph on December 21, when it was reported Yoshinobu Yamamoto agreed to a 12-year, $325 million contract.
Yamamoto’s contract with the Dodgers is record-setting by way of being the richest deal for a pitcher in MLB history and also the longest. Gerrit Cole’s nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees previously represented the largest in MLB history for a pitcher.
The Yankees’ commitment to Cole reportedly played a part in their pursuit of Yamamoto due to not wanting to give him a more lucrative contract.
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The New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Dodgers, Yankees and Boston Red Sox were believed to be the most serious bidders for Yamamoto.
The 25-year-old reportedly narrowed down his decision to the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees as finalists. The Mets are believed to have made the same contract offer for Yamamoto as the Dodgers did.
Along with Shohei Ohtani being a factor, Yamamoto’s decision to sign with the Dodgers reportedly stemmed from also being a longtime fan of the team.
Signing Yamamoto is also requiring the Dodgers to pay a record-setting $50.6 million posting fee to the Orix Buffaloes. Although the team has made a significant financial commitment for a pitcher who is looking to establish himself in the Major Leagues, Yamamoto projects to be a frontline starter for the Dodgers’ rotation.
Yamamoto joins the Dodgers after winning three consecutive MVP Awards in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and also three straight Eiji Sawamura Awards, which is their equivalent of the Cy Young.
Yoshinobu Yammoto’s deadline to sign Dodgers contract
Yamamoto’s deadline to sign with the Dodgers is 2 p.m. PT on January 4, 2024. He will need to pass a physical and the Dodgers have to create room on their 40-man roster in order to make the deal official.
Yamamoto’s 45-day posting window opened Tuesday, November 21, at 5 a.m. PT.
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