Untested Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Surprising MLB Contract Explained – Crucial Reasons Behind His $325 Million Deal

There have been echoes that Yoshinobu Yamamoto may have been overpaid. Some fans are asking how a player with zero major league experience can get a record-high $325 million contract. Though it’s right that Yamamoto is entering into an unknown territory, the worries of overpayment do sound a little exaggerated. As can be seen, right now, the prices are rising in the pitching market. With pitchers expecting outrageous contracts, one question has emerged – Is this rise in price due to Yamamoto, or is it because of a lack of quality pitchers?

At the beginning of this offseason, the wildest of estimates for Yamamoto barely touched $200 million. Eventually, after intense competition, the story culminated with the Los Angeles Dodgers signing him with a 12-year, $325 million contract. For a player with no major league experience, this is huge. But when one looks at the other available pitchers, this starts looking like a bargain.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Is spending $325 million worth it?

As the X post says, even though Yamamoto is an “unproven talent”, currently the market is filled with pitchers who may be asking more than what teams want to give. Lucas Giolito just agreed to a 2-year, $38.5 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. The BoSox are paying $14.25 million per year to a player who had an 8-15 record last season with an ERA of 4.88.

It’s not just Giolito, pitchers like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are expecting a high triple-figure contract. Even though Snell is the Cy Young award winner, he has never been a long-haul pitcher, crossing 130 innings only twice in his career. On the other hand, Monty has never been the outright ace of a team, but will sign a contract that rivals most aces. 

In this case, a 3x NPB MVP, 3x Sawamura award winner, and perhaps Japan’s greatest pitching export at just the age of 25 – Yoshinobu Yamamoto, looks not only worth the $325 million but could’ve gone higher than that as well. If he manages to do even half as good as he did in Japan, Yamamoto would still be a huge win for the Dodgers.

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How the Ace could prove to be a game-changer

In 2023, the only Dodgers’ starter with an ERA below 3 was Clayton Kershaw with 2.46. Other than Bobby Miller’s 3.76, the rest of the starters were in high 4s. Kershaw is gone, at least for now. On the other hand, the career ERA of Yamamoto is 1.72 – a truly elite number.

Pitching has been the Achilles heel of the Dodgers for some time. Acquiring Yamamoto’s full peak and potential for $325 million appears to be a clear and advantageous deal. Especially in the present market, which lacks genuine quality aces.

Read more: Yoshinobu Yamamoto Reveals How Shohei Ohtani’s Selfless Act Resonated With His Competitive Spirit Amidst Free Agency Negotiations

So for now at least, the worries of overpayment seem a tad exaggerated.