Star Japanese right-handed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto has reportedly agreed to a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, joining fellow countryman Shohei Ohtani.
Jack Curry of Yes Network was the first to report the agreement, which has also been confirmed by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Jon Heyman of MLB Network. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the contract is for 12 years and $325 million.
Rosenthal reports that there are no deferrals in Yamamoto’s contract and it also comes with a $50 million signing bonus.
Yamamoto was posted on Nov. 20 by the Orix Buffaloes of NPB and had a 45-day window to negotiate with interested MLB teams.
The 25-year-old is one of the most decorated pitchers to make the jump to MLB. He is a two-time Pacific League Most Valuable Player and a three-time Eiji Sawamura Award winner — NPB’s version of the Cy Young Award.
In 2023 with the Buffaloes, Yamamoto posted a 1.16 ERA over 171 innings, racking up 176 strikeouts while walking just 28 hitters. He has been one of the best home run suppressors in Japan, allowing just two last season.
Over seven career NPB seasons, Yamamoto owns a 1.72 ERA and a 75-30 record over 967.2 innings. He also pitched in the World Baseball Classic for Team Japan earlier in the year, helping his country win the tournament. His fastball averaged 95 m.p.h and topped out at 96.6 m.p.h in Japan’s semifinal win over Mexic. He threw 20 fastballs, 19 splitters, six curveballs, six cutters, and one slider in a 3 1/3 inning relief outing. Batters swung at 11 of his splitters and missed four.
The move is the second significant signing by the Dodgers after the club agreed to a 10-year, $700 million deal with the two-way superstar Ohtani. The Dodgers have no committed $1.025 billion to two players this winter.
Under the MLB-NPB agreement, the posting fee will be 20 per cent of the first $25 million of a major league contract, including earned bonuses and options. The percentage drops to 17.5 per cent of the next $25 million and 15 per cent of any amount over $50 million. There will be a supplemental fee of 15 per cent of any earned bonuses, salary escalators and exercised options.
With files from the Associated Press.
