The Dodgers’ addition of free-agent starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto made waves throughout baseball. Los Angeles flexed their financial muscle to land the right-hander, and others around the league weren’t happy.
Yamamoto and the Dodgers agreed to a 12-year, $325 million contract, which is the largest total contract for a pitcher in MLB history. Los Angeles opened the checkbooks to land Yamamoto, but it seems that they weren’t the team to offer him the most money.
Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer spoke with Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton, where he revealed that the team offered the most money to Yamamoto in free agency. In the end, the Japanese pitcher chose the Dodgers over everything else.
It was reported that Yamamoto grew up a fan of the Dodgers, which could have played into his final decision. He also likely felt comfortable with having Shohei Ohtani around him as he made his transition to the United States.
Yamamoto seemed to feel comfortable during the Dodgers meeting with him. L.A. pulled out all the stops to show him why he should become a member of the team, and it clearly worked to perfection.
Yamamoto received a very lucrative contract from the Dodgers and gets to now play on a powerhouse for years to come. Philadelphia is a very good team as well, but there were reports stating that the rookie may have preferred to pitch on the West Coast.
Either way, Yamamoto is now with the Dodgers. He will be a crucial part of the team competing this season, and hopefully, it ends with them winning another World Series title.