Yoshinobu Yamamoto signs a $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers – the largest contract for a rookie in Major League Baseball.

In an important news, the Los Angeles Dodgers have signed Japanese player Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year contract worth $325 million, making him the highest-paid rookie and the highest-paid pitcher in Major League Baseball history. Yamamoto is a three-time winner of the Japanese Professional Baseball MVP award and achieved this massive contract after a stellar season in Japan.

Contract Details

Yamamoto’s contract includes a signing bonus of $50 million and a $50.6 million posting fee to his former team in Japan, according to a report from ESPN. This contract is the highest ever for a rookie in Major League Baseball, surpassing other Japanese players who entered the league with huge contracts, such as Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish, Masahiro Tanaka, and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

More Details

A bidding war for Yamamoto was launched during the MLB offseason, with several teams approaching him with offers exceeding $300 million, according to analyses from baseball experts. The teams involved in the bidding included more than ten teams, including the Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, and Giants.

Yamamoto’s Career

Yamamoto began his career in the Japanese Professional Baseball League in 2017, where he delivered an impressive performance with a 2.35 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 48 to 9. Yamamoto continued to excel over the following five years, maintaining an ERA below 3.00 each year and winning the Sawamura Award three times. After achieving the best ERA of the season in the Japanese Professional Baseball League in 2023, Yamamoto announced in November that he would enter the free agent market in Major League Baseball. His entry into the MLB comes after a similar path taken by several previous Japanese stars such as Darvish, Tanaka, and Ichiro Suzuki.

With this massive contract, the Los Angeles Dodgers reaffirm their dominance in the transfer market and their ability to attract top players. Yamamoto is expected to contribute significantly to the Dodgers’ team and increase their chances of competing for championships in the coming years.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/12/22/dodgers-sign-japanese-ace-yoshinobu-yamamoto-to-325-million-contract-biggest-rookie-mlb-deal-ever/