Dodgers Sign Yamamoto
Posted in Baseball last updated on December 23, 2023The Dodgers continue to make splashes during the MLB offseason as they have signed the top remaining free agent, pitcher from Japan, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Just two weeks after landing superstar Shohei Ohtani and acquiring Tyler Glasnow from the Rays, the Dodgers continued to buff up their rotation by adding the Japanese phenom.
Contract Details
12 years $325 million
The Dodgers will also be paying Yamamoto’s former team, the Orix Buffaloes, $51 million.
Many teams were pursuing the pitcher and had similar offers. The Mets offered the same 12 years for $325 million and the Yankees offered 10 years for $300 million. The Giants were interested, but once the bidding reached well over $300 million they dropped out. It seems like Ohtani had a big influence on Yamamoto’s decision.
Yamamoto’s Stats with the Orix Buffaloes
| 2023 Stats | Career Stats | |
| Games Played | 23 | 172 |
| Record | 16-6 | 70-29 |
| Innings Pitched | 164 | 897 |
| Hits | 117 | 633 |
| Homeruns | 2 | 36 |
| Walks | 28 | 206 |
| Strikeouts | 169 | 922 |
| ERA | 1.21 | 1.82 |
His stats don’t lie he has been a beast in his seven-year career, but is he worth $375 million when he has not even thrown a pitch in the MLB? At this point, money doesn’t even matter in baseball anymore so if you have the chance to get a potential All-Star you can’t pass it up. Plus, he is still young at only 25-years-old.
Dodgers Rotation
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto
- Tyler Glasnow
- Walker Buehler
- Bobby Miller
- Emmet Sheehan
You gotta throw Yamamoto out there on opening day, right?
What is the one issue with this rotation? All right-hand pitchers. Dodgers need to look for a lefty or two to join the rotation. Maybe they will continue their monopoly of the 2023 free agent class and sign Blake Snell.