The Los Angeles Dodgers sign RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto to $325m Megadeal

The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly signed RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12 year $325m contract, per @JeffPassan. Yamamoto is the latest big name to join a Dodgers team that has made several headline generating acquisitions this offseason. He will join Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller, and Tyler Glasnow in the Dodgers rotation with the 5th member still up in the air. The signing of Yamamoto continues the Dodgers trend of aggressively going after the top names on the free agent and trade market, bringing their overall financial commitment this offseason north of $1 billion. 

Yamamoto, 25, has long starred in Japan as the ace for the Orix Buffaloes of the NPB. During his Orix tenure, Yamamoto posted a 75-30 record with a ridiculous 1.72 ERA over parts of 7 seasons. This includes three Pacific League Most Valuable Player Awards, two no-hitters, and three Triple Crowns. His sparkling resume led to him being considered the top arm on the free agency market and the rest of the market is expected to take shape in the coming weeks now that Yamamoto is off the board.

While smaller in stature than the prototypical big league pitcher, 5”10/177 lbs, Yamamoto’s fastball still sits in the mid 90s range and tops out at 99 MPH. He couples his heater with a cutter, curveball, and splitter, which plays off of his fastball and is his best pitch. He also was a member of the 2023 Japan team that took home the championship in the World Baseball Classic.