THE ANGELS.- Prized Japanese free agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto reached a 12-year, $325 million contract agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to multiple reports.
Yamamoto would join his compatriot Shohei Ohtani with the Dodgers, who signed the superstar, capable of shining with the bat and on the mound, for an unprecedented amount of 700 million dollars.
The agreement with Ohtani, for 10 years, was signed a little over a week ago.
The Dodgers did not confirm the agreement with Yamamoto on Thursday. MLB.com and ESPN were among the media that reported the agreement, citing anonymous sources.
The New York Yankees and New York Mets were among several teams courting Yamamoto.
This is the third blow delivered by the National League West Division champions to reinforce their pitching this offseason. In addition to Ohtani, the team signed right-hander Tyler Glasnow to a five-year, $136.5 million deal after he was traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani sent a video to Glasnow seeking to convince him to move to Hollywood.
“It was important to Shohei that this wasn’t the only move we made,” Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, said in introducing Ohtani last week. .
Yamamoto was 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA this season, striking out 169 and walking 28 in 164 innings. His record is 70-29 with a 1.82 earned run average in seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes.
On November 5, Yamamoto set a Japan Series record by striking out 14 in Game 6, a win over Hanshin. He completed the game with 138 pitches.
However, Orix lost the seventh match.
Source: With information from AP
