Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers set a record in free agency last offseason when the two sides agreed to a 12-year, $325 million contract. It is the largest contract ever given to a pitcher in MLB history, both in terms of length and dollar amount.
The Dodgers were not the only suitors for Yamamoto’s services during free agency, with the New York Mets and New York Yankees being two of the many teams vying for his services. Competition was fierce for the three-time Nippon Professional Baseball Organization triple crown winner, but the Dodgers were ultimately able to come out on top.
Fast-forward to October and all three of the aforementioned teams have made it to their respective League Championship Series.
With Yamamoto getting the Game 4 start in the National League Championship Series, he gets the chance to pitch at what was almost his home stadium if he didn’t end up choosing the Dodgers. And for what it is worth, the Mets did not make it an easy decision for Yamamoto.
“I did meet them a couple times. I had a good impression, which made it a little hard to make a decision. It’s a wonderful organization,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter.
While it is unknown what the Mets final offer to Yamamoto was, the Yankees made an aggressive push to add him to their rotation. However, the Yankees declined to make Yamamoto an offer that exceeded the nine-year, $324 million deal Gerrit Cole signed with the team in 2019.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto hopes to repay Dodgers teammates
If someone told the Dodgers at the beginning of the season that they only had three different pitchers start for them through eight playoff games, that would have been difficult to fathom.
The reality is that despite the Dodgers’ best efforts to add starting pitching depth, injuries have greatly limited their options this postseason.
Yamamoto does not feel any extra pressure to replace the lost production, but instead sees it as an opportunity to repay the efforts of his teammates who covered for him in the regular season.
“Because right now anything can happen in terms of injury or a mishap within the rotation, I think every single pitcher of the Dodgers has been doing their best and doing their job. I was gone because of my own injury and all the teammates, pitching staff, they covered me in my absence,” he said.
“So now because I’m back, I’d like to contribute with what I’ve got for the team.”
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