The Los Angeles Dodgers did it again.
Less than two weeks after inking Shohei Ohtani to a record-breaking $700-million dollar deal, the Dodgers also apparently won the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes.
The prized Japanese pitcher reportedly agreed to a 12-year, $325-million contract Thursday night, which is the largest free agent contract for a pitcher in MLB history, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The Dodgers must also pay a posting fee to the Orix Buffaloes, bringing the total they’re responsible for up to $375 million. The 25-year-old right-hander reportedly chose the Dodgers over several suitors, most notably the Yankees, Mets, Giants and Phillies.
Yamamoto heads to Los Angeles after winning his third straight MVP and Eiji Sawamura Award, which is Nippon Professional Baseball’s version of the Cy Young. Yamamoto spent seven seasons with the Buffaloes and is fresh off his most dominant season, during which he posted a 1.21 ERA with a 6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 164 innings.
Yamamoto is the third significant addition the Dodgers have made this month. In addition to signing Ohtani, they also traded for Tyler Glasnow and gave him a five-year, $136.5-million dollar contract extension.
The Dodgers leapfrogged multiple teams to become +550 World Series favorites after adding Ohtani. Those odds moved to +400 at DraftKings on Thursday night after reports came out they were also landing Yamamoto. The Dodgers are also +210 to win the National League and -285 to win the NL West.
