Dodgers win the Yoshinobu Yamamoto bidding war against the Yankees.
SAD NEWS: Yankees lose Yoshinobu Yamamoto bidding war to Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers have accomplished something once more in less than two weeks since acquiring megastar Shohei Ohtani. Since Ohtani didn’t appear all that interested in visiting New York, Yankees fans never really had a say in the discussions, so it hurt less back then.
But Yamamoto Yoshinobu? Both parties were interested in the position, and the Yankees were open about their desire to sign the three-time reigning NPB MVP. This past season, general manager Brian Cashman was even present for the ace’s no-hitter. The Yankees were obviously going to get involved after Yamamoto was posted.
The conflict has ended. Not only is Yamamoto not coming to Queens, but he is also not going to pitch in the Bronx. The Dodgers have signed Yamamoto, and the Yankees have lost. The first report came from Jack Curry of YES Network, and Jon Heyman verified the death knell.
According to Jeff Passan, Yamamoto is agreeing to a record-breaking 12-year, $325 million contract with LA, setting a new standard for a league rookie. Though the Mets matched the Dodgers’ price, SNY’s Andy Martino reported that New York topped out at $300 million over ten years. If that’s the case, the Yankees should have been disappointed to receive the best offer available (yes, years do matter).
A pitcher like Yamamoto was just what the Yankees needed to offer the Cy Young Award winner a helping hand in the rotation. Their decline to 82 wins was mostly the fault of the offense, but aside from Cole, only the mediocre Clarke Schmidt made over 20 starts. Luis Severino crumbled in his Bronx swan song, 2022 All-Star Nestor Cortes was injured and unproductive, and free agent signing Carlos Rodón suffered an injury.
Yamamoto won’t be providing the response. In order to assist Cole in 2024, they will now need to pick up the pieces and search elsewhere. Juan Soto was also a much-needed addition, but with their depth diminished after the trade for him, they still need more guys to pitch even if their lineup gets better. All we can do is wait and see how the Yankees react.
