Despite never setting foot on a major-league mound, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is already being hailed as one of the planet’s most gifted pitchers, according to numerous baseball executives and talent evaluators.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have made a historic move by agreeing to a 12-year, $325 million contract with Yamamoto, as confirmed by major-league sources on Thursday. This landmark deal, which includes a $50 million signing bonus and no deferrals, shatters the record for the highest guaranteed sum ever offered to a Japanese player, surpassing New York Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole’s contract of nine years, $324 million. Notably, it even exceeds two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yamamoto’s contract includes two opt-out clauses, as reported by ESPN.
This agreement concludes a fiercely competitive pursuit for Yamamoto, a right-handed pitcher renowned for his exceptional command, unique pitching attributes, and complete domination of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). In the past season, he secured his third consecutive Sawamura Award, equivalent to Japan’s Cy Young Award, while leading the Orix Buffaloes to victory in the Japan Series. These achievements allowed scouts and executives to envision him as a future big-league staff ace.
Yamamoto’s youth, having turned 25 in August, further heightened interest in his free agency. Nearly every major-market team actively participated in the bidding process, making it evident by mid-November that the offers would far surpass earlier projections. To put it in perspective, Yamamoto’s deal dwarfs the seven-year, $155 million contract that Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka received from the Yankees in 2014.
As the third-ranked free agent by The Athletic, Yamamoto has consistently displayed outstanding performance in recent years, boasting ERAs of 1.39, 1.68, and 1.21 in each of the last three seasons with Orix. He led the league in 2023 with 169 strikeouts in 164 innings and made history by throwing back-to-back no-hitters in NPB, a feat unmatched before. Many clubs sent their top executives to watch him pitch multiple times during the past season, with even Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman in attendance when Yamamoto pitched his no-hitter on Sept. 9 against Chiba Lotte Marines.
Reflecting on this experience, Cashman stated at the Winter Meetings, “I didn’t learn anything new. I had already been educated enough on him over the course of our scouting years, knowing the type of talent he was. He just showed it. But it wasn’t surprising.”
The New York Mets were particularly dedicated in their pursuit, with owner Steve Cohen traveling to Japan to meet personally with Yamamoto before the Winter Meetings, gaining an advantage over other teams planning to visit him at Wasserman headquarters in Los Angeles later that month.
Despite concerns about his 5-foot-10, 176-pound frame, Yamamoto’s demonstrated durability, including his participation in the World Baseball Classic earlier in the year, did not deter MLB teams. His remarkable performance continued through the year, with a 138-pitch complete game in Game 6 of the Japan Series on Nov. 5, matching Yu Darvish’s Japan Series record with 14 strikeouts.
Texas Rangers GM Chris Young praised Yamamoto’s talent, emphasizing his unique fastball profile, exceptional command, competitiveness, and explosive pitching style. Young anticipates a smooth transition for Yamamoto to Major League Baseball.
MLB organizations have closely monitored Yamamoto since his debut with Orix in 2017 when he was just 18 years old. His fastball, capable of reaching 99 mph, typically sits in the 94-95 mph range, but it’s the combination of movement and deception that makes it highly effective. Yamamoto’s splitter, a pitch only 5-6 mph slower than his fastball, lures hitters out of the zone, and his cutter is versatile against both right-handed and left-handed batters. Even his fifth-best pitch, a sweeping slider, holds significant potential for success against MLB hitters.
Hailing from Bizen, a city in Japan’s Okayama Prefecture, Yamamoto is set to enter the big leagues next season as a fully-fledged ace. The Dodgers are making a substantial bet on his ability to withstand the pressures of the Major League kiln.
