Dodgers introduce Yamamoto to ‘new home’

December 27th, 2023

Los Angeles announced a 12-year contract with coveted Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Wednesday, five days after agreeing to a contract, according to sources. The deal is for $325 million, sources told MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand, and the Dodgers are also on the hook for a posting fee of around $50 million to Yamamoto’s former Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Orix Buffaloes.

“I am beyond ecstatic to become a member of this historic franchise and cannot express how much it means to me to be able to call Los Angeles my new home,” Yamamoto said to open his introductory press conference Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.

The deal, which includes a $50 million signing bonus, has no deferrals and includes opt-outs after years six and eight, per a source. Yamamoto will receive the most guaranteed dollars ever given to a pitcher, surpassing Gerrit Cole by $1 million — though in his current nine-year, $324 million deal with the Yankees, Cole holds the edge in average annual value over Yamamoto’s $27 million per year.

It’s also the longest free-agent deal for a full-time pitcher (two-way stars not included) since Wayne Garland signed with Cleveland for 10 years and $2.3 million in 1977. He was released five years later.

“I wouldn’t say [Ohtani] was the sole reason I decided to come here,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “Even if he went somewhere else, I probably still would have ended up in L.A. as a Dodger. On top of that, Shohei is obviously not only one of the best Japanese players, but he’s one of the best players, period, in all of MLB. To be able to play with him from here on out means a lot to me.”

The trio of Ohtani, Yamamoto and Glasnow represents more than $1.1 billion in deals Los Angeles has agreed to this offseason, and the unprecedented deferrals in Ohtani’s contract were in large part what allowed them to make all of these moves together.

“It has been an exciting couple of weeks for the Dodgers community,” said general manager Brandon Gomes, “and being able to add a starting pitcher as decorated and talented as Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a great way to wrap up 2023 and to add to what we expect to be a thrilling 2024 season.”

As evidenced by his historic deal, Yamamoto, 25, is considered a potential frontline starter despite his slight frame. The 5-foot-10 righty’s repertoire features a fastball that sits in the mid-to-upper 90s and multiple wipeout secondary pitches, including his signature curveball, as well as a splitter and cutter/slider.

He comes to the Majors having won the pitching Triple Crown in Nippon Professional Baseball, leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts, and the Eiji Sawamura Award — Japan’s version of the Cy Young — in each of the past three seasons. Altogether, he went 49-16 with a 1.44 ERA and 580 strikeouts in that span.

“We could not be more excited to bring Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the Dodgers,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in a statement. “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.”