Yankees lost out on $325m pitcher because of Shohei Ohtani

The New York Yankees are off to a promising start in 2024.

The Yankees made one of the biggest moves in free agency this offseason, acquiring Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres in a seven-player transaction. The Yankees, on the other hand, were in prime position to recruit another marquee player.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a Los Angeles Dodger, “would have signed with” the Yankees or New York Mets if not for Shohei Ohtani, according to USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale.

“Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto would have signed with the New York Yankees or Mets, persons familiar with his thinking say, if Shohei Ohtani had not signed with the Dodgers and helped recruit him,” Nightengale wrote in an email.

Yamamoto signed a record-breaking contract with the Dodgers during free agency. He inked a 12-year, $325 million contract to join his World Baseball Classic colleague, Ohtani, in Los Angeles.

Ohtani Recruiting Yamamoto

The Dodgers completed the most significant move of the offseason when they signed Ohtani. Adding the two-time American League MVP was clearly insufficient for the Dodgers. Yamamoto was one of the most sought-after pitchers over the offseason, and understandably so.

“He arrives to the Majors having won the pitching Triple Crown in Nippon Professional Baseball, leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts, as well as the Eiji Sawamura Award — Japan’s equivalent of the Cy Young — in each of the previous three seasons. Sonja Chen of MLB.com stated, “Overall, he went 49-16 with a 1.44 ERA and 580 strikeouts in that span.”

On March 6, Ohtani “recruited Yamamoto to the Dodgers,” wrote Nightengale. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Ohtani for influencing Yamamoto’s choice.

“I think he was huge, obviously,” Roberts stated. “When you talk about Japanese players, there is always conjecture about whether they want to play together. Which no one ever knows. But I do believe when someone of Shohei’s quality says, “We want you here.” “I want to be a teammate of yours,” was a strong selling point for Yamamoto.

Yamamoto Would Have Bolstered the Yankees’ Rotation

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Yamamoto’s ability to transfer into the MLB, the Dodgers were willing to invest a significant sum to him. The Yankees would have paid a high price to get Yamamoto, but it appears that it would have been worthwhile.

Yamamoto’s contract is the most guaranteed money ever given to a pitcher, beating Gerrit Cole by $1 million, according to Chen.

“Yamamoto is only the third player in Japanese Baseball history to win the MVP award in the NPB over three consecutive seasons,” according to MLB.com.

With Cole now out, Yamamoto might have served as the team’s ace while Cole healed. With Cole’s return, the duo would have been among the finest in baseball.

Yamamoto is 3-1 in seven starts, with an ERA of 2.91. His ERA is 1.64, excluding his inning outing in the season opener, in which he allowed five runs. Pairing Yamamoto with Cole would have been a tremendous advantage for the Yankees.