Report: Yoshinobu Yamamoto To Sign with Dodgers for $325 Million

The wait is finally over. After weeks of discussions with teams all throughout Major League Baseball, Yoshinobu Yamamoto will reportedly sign a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to a report from YES Network’s Jack Curry  ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the contract will be for 12 years and $325 million.

According to a report from SNY’s Andy Martino, the Mets offered Yamamoto a $325 million contract, the same amount he will reportedly sign with Los Angeles. Martino reports that the Yankees offered the Japanese superstar $300 million.

The Yankees, Mets, and Phillies, were among the teams believed to be major players in the sweepstakes for Yamamoto, but the 25-year-old has elected to begin the next stage of his career with the Dodgers, where he will play alongside Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Tyler Glasnow, and Freddie Freeman.

Yamamoto made his debut for the Orix Buffaloes in 2017, and over the last seven seasons, the right-hander has been one of the best players in Nippon Professional Baseball. One can argue that his 2023 campaign was the most impressive of them all, as he was 17-6 with a staggering 1.16 ERA across 171 innings pitched. Yamamoto made a total of 188 appearances for the Buffaloes, pitching to a 1.72 ERA in 967 2/3 innings.

So, what kind of pitcher will the Dodgers be adding to their rotation? Yamamoto had 9.3 SO/9 last year, which would put him in the top 25 among all MLB starters. The NPB is not as talented of a league, but those numbers should carry over. Yamamoto owned a 9.2 SO/9 during his time with the Buffaloes, so he has consistently shown that he can strike batters out. He has a unique four-pitch mix the features a four-seam fastball, splitter, curveball and a cutter.

With Yamamoto now longer available, the remaining teams will now have to pivot to other starting pitchers on the free agent market. That group is highlighted by Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Marcus Stroman and Shōta Imanaga. It remains to be seen as to whether or not the Mets will be the one of the favorites to land any of those pitchers. But with Yamamoto now off the board, the market should begin to move a bit more quickly over the next few days and weeks.

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