Dodgers make signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto official
Yamamoto becomes the 12th Japanese-born player to suit up for the Dodgers. He arrives in MLB off three consecutive MVP seasons in Japan.
LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers signing of Japanese free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto became official Wednesday.
In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers designated left-hander Bryan Hudson for assignment. Hudson made six appearances for the Dodgers last season with a 7.27 ERA.
Posted by his Japanese team (the Orix Buffaloes) this winter, Yamamoto agreed to a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers. The deal guarantees the 25-year-old more money than any pitcher in baseball history, just topping Gerrit Cole’s nine-year, $324 million deal with the New York Yankees.
Yamamoto’s big contract includes a $50 million signing bonus and reportedly two opportunities for him to opt out – following the sixth season (2029) and eighth season (2031). The contract is believed to be somewhat backloaded, meaning Yamamoto would be giving up the higher-salaried years if he does elect to opt out.
Yamamoto is the 12th Japanese-born player to wear a Dodger uniform, joining Shohei Ohtani, Hideo Nomo, Masao Kida, Kazuhisa Ishii, Norihiro Nakamura, Takashi Saito, Hiroki Kuroda, Kenta Maeda, Yu Darvish, Yoshi Tsutsugo and current Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
“We could not be more excited to bring Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the Dodgers,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “You don’t win three MVP awards by the age of 25 without an exceptional combination of talent, work ethic and mental toughness. He’s an elite pitcher with an impressive dedication to his craft who will only become more dynamic in a Dodger uniform. We are thrilled for him to be a mainstay at the top of our starting rotation for years to come.”
A three-time Pacific League MVP and Sawamura Award winner (the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award), Yamamoto was the most coveted free-agent pitcher on the market this winter. According to multiple reports, the New York Yankees and New York Mets each offered deals in the $300 million range but Yamamoto chose the Dodgers.
Yamamoto is not imposing physically at 5-foot-10, 175 pounds. But his fastball touches 99 mph and comes with an exceptional split-fingered fastball and outstanding curveball. Since debuting as an 18-year-old, Yamamoto dominated Japanese hitters. In his three MVP seasons, he went 59-16 with a 1.65 ERA, 580 strikeouts and 110 walks in 550 ⅔ innings.
The Dodgers entered the offseason with little starting pitching depth and a rotation filled with question marks. That rotation is now fronted by Yamamoto, Glasnow and Walker Buehler.