The intense bidding war is over, and the Los Angeles Dodgers signed the 25-year-old superstar starting pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Los Angeles opened its checkbook for a $12-year, 325 million contract.
The Dodgers, who already signed Shohei Ohtani to a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract, matched the Mets’ offer and surpassed the New York Yankees’ $300 million offer. Playing for the Dodgers, and the prospect of competing with Ohtani, team Japan’s 2023 World Baseball Classic captain, for the next decade is an experience many players can’t pass up.
The Dodgers have spent over $1 billion in free agency — more than all 29 teams combined.
The length and price of the contract are risky since Yamamoto hasn’t stepped onto a MLB diamond yet. Still, there is optimism that the three-time Nippon Professional Baseball MVP, the pitcher of the year and the triple-crown winner will translate into MLB well.
New York Mets’ starting pitcher Kodai Senga is a recent example of Japanese pitchers dominating MLB. In his first season, Senga threw 29 starts for 166 innings and a 2.98 ERA. Senga finished second in National League Rookie of the Year, seventh in the Cy Young Award and earned an All-Star appearance.
The Dodgers have focused on drastically improving their starting rotation, which was an issue during the season. Yamamoto joins a rotation that includes Walker Buehler, recently-acquired Tyler Glasnow, Bobby Miller and Emmet Sheehan. Additionally, this list doesn’t include current free agent Clayton Kershaw, who has spent all 16 seasons of his Hall of Fame MLB career with the Dodgers.
In 2025, Ohtani returns from injury, which makes this rotation even better.
The next few seasons are World Series or bust for the Dodgers. The team has fallen drastically short of expectations since its 2020 COVID-shortened championship. Los Angeles lost to the Atlanta Braves in the 2021 National League Championship Series, fell to the San Diego Padres in the 2022 National League Divisional Series and got swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 NLDS.
Los Angeles hasn’t won the World Series in a full season since 1988. The goal is to win many World Series titles during Ohtani and Yamamoto’s tenure. They have the star power to do so.
The top of LA’s lineup is as scary as it gets. Mookie Betts will lead off next season, where he had plenty of success. Betts put together arguably the best season of his 10-year MLB career, and placed second in NL MVP voting. Freddie Freeman will bat in the 2-hole for the Dodgers. Freeman earned his seventh All-Star appearance in 2023, when he placed third in NL MVP voting.
Then, you add on Ohtani, who just won his second unanimous MVP award. He led the American League with 44 home runs, despite missing the last month of the season. It’ll be interesting to see his full value as a hitter in 2024, because won’t be pitching next season.
The Dodgers won the bidding war for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but a lot has to be accomplished for the 2024 off-season to be worth it.
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