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With Shohei Ohtani off the board after signing a record-breaking deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the baseball community turned its attention to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, one of the top-rated pitchers on the open market.
Despite signing Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million deal, LA is reportedly interested in signing Yamamoto. MLB insider Jon Heyman reported the team is still one of the favorites to land the Japanese ace.
Alongside The Blue Crew are the New York Yankees and New York Mets. Both New York clubs have been aggressive in their pursuit of the five-time NPB All-Star pitcher.
If LA does sign Yamamoto, it would set itself up to be a World Series contender for the unforeseeable future.
Baseball fans do not want to see the Dodgers land Yoshinobu Yamamoto on top of Shohei Ohtani's signing.
"I'm gonna be sick," one fan posted.
"MLB needs a cap," another fan posted.
The competition for Yamamoto is fierce, and he has until Jan. 4 to sign with a team.
Dodgers set their sights on Yoshinobu Yamamoto as they amp up pursuit of pitchers
Before the signing of Ohtani, many believed the Dodgers to be a World Series-contending team. Now with Ohtani, they are the favorites to be the last team standing in the 2024 season.
Early reports predict him to bat second behind leadoff hitter Mookie Betts, with Freddie Freeman to follow. Offensively, the team is looking like a juggernaut.
However, they still need pitching, and this is where Yoshinobu Yamamoto comes in. Walker Buehler is expected to be on a pitch count after he missed the entirety of the 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The future is unclear for Clayton Kershaw, who is a free agent. But if the Dodgers were to re-sign him, he would miss the start of the season following a shoulder surgery.
If LA misses out on Yamamoto, expect them to pivot to other free-agent pitchers on the market. There are a ton of great options that they could choose from that would help them heading into the 2024 season.
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