By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed the two biggest stars in the free agent market. And they’re both Japanese stars.
First, the Dodgers struck a deal to sign the uniquely-talented pitcher and hitter Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million deal. Due to the structure of his contract, Ohtani worked it out to have more than $680 million in deferred money.
Then on Thursday night, the Dodgers struck another deal. The team signed Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year deal.
He will receive $325 million. At this time, it is unclear if he has worked out a similar deal like Ohtani with deferred wages coming later.
The Dodgers beat out the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and the Philadelphia Phillies for the ace.
With three deals this off-season, the Dodgers have spent over $1 billion dollars. Outside of these two deals for Japanese players, the team also re-signed pitcher Tyler Glasnow after working out a deal to acquire him from the Tampa Bay Rays.
While Ohtani will not pitch in 2024 due to an injury that he suffered this past season, he will likely return to the mound in 2025. That’s when both Japanese pitchers will be in their starting rotation.
Due to these roster moves, it may have signaled the end of the road for Clayton Kershaw to play for the team. Kershaw was uncertain about his future when the team acquired Glasnow.
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