The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t playing around.
Days after signing two-time American League Most Valuable Player Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers reportedly are zeroing in on their next target. LA met with free-agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and made sure the guest list during the meeting was littered with luminaries.
Dodgers writer Fabian Ardaya reported along with Ken Rosenthal that Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and the great Ohtani all attended the meeting.
“Yoshinibu Yamamoto’s meeting with the Dodgers yesterday at Dodger Stadium featured star power that included Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman…and Shohei Ohtani,” Ardaya posted.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s meeting with the Dodgers yesterday at Dodger Stadium featured star power that included Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman….and Shohei Ohtani, sources tell me and @Ken_Rosenthal.
Story: https://t.co/bqWwlwmjIu
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) December 13, 2023
The Dodgers are nothing if not brazen about signing elite free agents, if not brazen. So their decision to go all out for Yamamoto’s services shouldn’t surprise anybody.
LA signed Shohei to an unprecedented contract that will defer $68 million of the $70 million AAV for several years. It won’t be until 2034 that the Dodgers will have to pony up for Ohtani. So, because of this unprecedented contract – which Major League Baseball doesn’t outlaw in their CBA – the Dodgers have some reign right now to have their pick of the litter even after getting the top free agent in the sport.
So if you were expecting LA to slow down after getting Ohtani? Well, you might already be out of luck on that front.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022