Published by: Bear Acuda
The Los Angeles Dodgers go all-in, continuing their ridiculous spending spree by signing renowned Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a landmark 12-year, $325 million contract. This significant move, reported on Thursday, sets a new precedent for pitcher contracts in Major League Baseball, both in duration and financial value.
In addition to the contract’s base value, the Dodgers will also pay Orix Buffaloes, Yamamoto’s former team, a $50.6 million posting fee. This acquisition is a part of the Dodgers’ extensive investment in free agents this season, which has now surpassed $1 billion. This includes a 10-year, $700 million agreement with Shohei Ohtani, another prominent Japanese player.
Yamamoto’s contract includes two optional opt-outs and a substantial $50 million signing bonus. Unlike Ohtani’s deal, where a significant portion of the payment is deferred, Yamamoto’s agreement includes no such deferrals.
Apparently, the super-rich of the Baseball world are allowed to post $700M IOUs to be paid a decade later.
Personally, I think this takes sports (and the MLB, specifically) in a dangerous direction, where teams like the Dodgers see players of Ohtani’s ilk as more of an investment loan than an actual human being.
Though, Ohtani did encourage this behavior in an effort to help the Dodgers create more salary cap room for attracting and signing top-level talent (to help them compete for a World Series championship), so I suppose he is just as guilty.
The signing follows an intense 48-hour negotiation period, during which the Dodgers emerged victorious over several other teams, including the New York Mets, the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies, the San Francisco Giants, the Boston Red Sox, and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Yamamoto, 25, a right-handed pitcher, has achieved extraordinary success in Nippon Professional Baseball, winning multiple MVP and Sawamura Awards. His record in the league is unmatched, showcasing a stellar ERA of 1.65 over more than 800 innings, and demonstrating a remarkable strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Standing at 5-foot-10 and weighing 176 pounds, Yamamoto may not have the typical build of a frontline starter, but his pitching arsenal – featuring a fast fastball, an effective split-fingered fastball, and a curveball – compensates for his size. His training focuses on flexibility and movement, eschewing traditional weight training for exercises using body weight, stretches, and various throwing practices.
Yamamoto became a highly sought-after player, particularly after turning 25 in August, when he was no longer bound by MLB’s international amateur deal restrictions. His posting on November 20th opened a 45-day signing window, during which time various MLB executives, including Dodgers president Andrew Friedman and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, visited Japan to see him play.
Yamamoto’s tour in the United States included meetings with several teams, helping him establish his priorities before formal negotiations began. His 2023 season was particularly impressive, with a 1.21 ERA over 164 innings, a 6-1 strikeout to walk ratio, and allowing only two home runs.
Do you like the “deferred payments” business model of the MLB?
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