Dodgers agree 12-year, $325 million deal with Yoshinobu Yamamoto

In late December 2023, the Los Angeles Dodgers reached agreement with Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto on a 12-year contract worth $325 million. Reports of the deal emerged on 21 December, and the club presented him a few days later. It was the largest contract ever given to a pitcher, surpassing previous records in Major League Baseball (MLB).

Yamamoto, then 25, had been the dominant starter in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) with the Orix Buffaloes, winning the Pacific League's MVP award three years in a row. He also played a key part in Japan's 2023 World Baseball Classic title. Several MLB clubs, including the New York Yankees and Mets, had courted him.

The signing came only weeks after the Dodgers landed his compatriot Shohei Ohtani on a 10-year, $700 million deal. Together, the two moves showed the club's determination to recruit the best Japanese talent and cemented Los Angeles as the main destination for Japanese stars. That reputation is why the Dodgers' interest in other Japanese prospects, such as Yokohama's Shoki Oda, draws close attention today.