LA Dodgers Suffer Yoshinobu Yamamoto Blow, $100 Million Surge Leaves Them With a Difficult Choice

Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been a prime target for the biggest clubhouses in MLB since he stepped foot into the free agency market this year. Since then, several big league teams have been after the Japanese ace. However, a recent change in his predicted contract might make one of them look elsewhere for other prospects.

This month, the ace was predicted to receive a deal valued at a nine-figure amount. The prediction saw a recent surge that makes it too hard for the Los Angeles Dodgers to proceed any further in the free agency contention for him. What caused the surge that makes them unable to afford Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s current valuation?

Yoshinobu Yamamoto: a dynamic dilemma for the Dodgers’ dugout

The Los Angeles Dodgers recently changed the face of the MLB by drafting the biggest sports contract with Shohei Ohtani. The $700 million deal has surpassed every humongous offer ever made in the entire sports kingdom of America. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the second-best prospect in the free agency market, valued at $300 million. However, per The Athletic, an anonymous source revealed that the final offer might reach the threshold of $400 million because of a change on the ace’s side.

The $100 million surge was brought about by a change in the posting fee for Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s former team, the Orix Buffaloes. Major NPB teams have seen many Japanese legends being passed off for less than their salt’s worth during the initial years. It seems like the Buffaloes aren’t ready to repeat the mistake on a contract valued at $300 million.

This makes it hard for the Boys in Blue to pursue the pitcher any more than they already have. They just made the biggest financial commitment of the century. That automatically makes the team look at other prospects to fill in their rotational lineup. Who have they been eyeing on that front so far?

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Does the team have a dependable rotational lineup?

The team has recently confirmed the trade-in of pitcher Tyler Glasnow for their starting lineup. Other than him, they have pitcher Walker Buehler to fill in the spot. According to a Dodgers Way report, Buehler has been held back by his Tommy John surgery this year, and it is yet to be seen when he will make a permanent comeback.

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Pitchers Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May can be relied on to fill in the spot until Ohtani’s pitching form returns in full. Ace Clayton Kershaw is in the running as well, but just like Buehler, his return next season is quite uncertain.

Whether the Dodgers will face a pitching dilemma in the next season or not remains to be seen. Let’s hope that our boys in blue can find a permanent solution by then!