While the Los Angeles Dodgers initially focused on Shohei Ohtani in free agency, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was very much part of their offseason plan and goal.
The right-hander drew widespread interest and that played a part in the total value of Yamamoto’s contract surpassing $300 million. Most projections leading into free agency forecasted Yamamoto signing for closer to $200 million.
The New York Yankees were among the teams competing with the Dodgers to sign Yamamoto, and are believed to have been a finalist for the Japanese native.
During a recent appearance on “Talkin’ Yanks” of Jomboy Media, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman reflected on his organization’s efforts to sign Yamamoto:
“Essentially, we felt really good about it. We were confident that we did everything we possibly could. We scouted him forever, we sent scouts upon scouts upon scouts on a yearly basis, he knew how much we valued him. And he was valued by everybody over here in the U.S. market, clearly. I thought we built a great relationship with the player, and I think he came down to a very difficult decision between us and the Dodgers.
Cashman added that although there was disappointment in the Yankees not signing Yamamoto, there’s some relief in that he joined the Dodgers in the National League:
“I was really proud of the foot we put forward, but disappointed that ultimately he picked another team. He’s a really talented player, a great pitcher and I think he’s going to do well in the United States. I love the personality too. Unfortunately, he’s a Dodger. The only good thing about that is it’s in the National League and not the American League East.”
Cashman and the Yankees now get an in-person look at Yamamoto as he starts Friday in the series opener.
Yamamoto enters 6-2 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 12 starts this season. The Dodgers have kept the 25-year-old on a schedule similar to what he was accustomed to in Japan, where Yamamoto pitched once per week.
Yankees reluctant with Yoshinobu Yamamoto contract offer
Although the Yankees were in the running to sign Yamamoto, they reportedly declined to make him a contract offer that exceeded the nine-year, $324 million deal Gerrit Cole signed with the team in December 2019 that at the time represented the largest for a pitcher in MLB history, both in terms of total money and average annual value ($36 million).
The Dodgers had significant interest in Cole at the time but their offerer reportedly topped out at $300 million over eight years and included deferred salary.
Yamamoto now holds the record for richest contract signed by a pitcher in MLB history at $325 million, and the longest at 12 years.
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