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Despite recently shelling out $700 million to
Shohei Ohtani (though $680 million will be deferred until after
the contract expires), the Dodgers are looking to boost their
rotation and are expected to meet with Yamamoto this week, per a
Bally Sports report.
While New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is the only major league
pitcher to sign a contract over $300 million (nine years, $324
million), speculation around baseball has Yamamoto potentially
landing a nine-year deal at $30-34 million per season.
Yamamoto has until Jan. 4 at 5 p.m. ET, when the 45-day window
on his posting closes, to sign with a major league team. Per The
Athletic, Yamamoto is expected to pick a team "within the next
two weeks or so."
The 25-year-old Yamamoto spent the past six-plus seasons with
the Orix Buffaloes, compiling a 70-29 record with one save and a
1.82 ERA in 172 games. He has struck out 922 batters over 897
innings.
In 23 games in 2023, he finished with a 16-6 record and 1.21 ERA
with 169 strikeouts in 164 innings. Those numbers helped him to
his third straight Triple Crown in the Pacific League of Nippon
Professional Baseball as he led the league in wins, ERA and
strikeouts.
Only three pitchers in Major League Baseball have won the
pitching Triple Crown three times -- Sandy Koufax, Walter
Johnson and Grover Cleveland Alexander.
Yamamoto also has won the Eiji Sawamura Award, which equals the
Cy Young Award, three times.
The 5-foot-10 Yamamoto won a gold medal with Japan in the 2020
Tokyo Olympics and another in the World Baseball Classic earlier
this year.
--Field Level Media
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