Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto has agreed to sign a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB.com reported Thursday.
The 25-year-old right-hander -- who led Japan's Pacific League in wins, ERA, strikeouts and winning percentage the past three seasons for the Orix Buffaloes -- will join Japanese two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani as a member of the Dodgers.
Yamamoto's reported deal with the Dodgers, pending a physical, is by far the largest for a Japanese player ahead of his MLB debut, eclipsing the $155 million, seven-year contract the New York Yankees gave to Masahiro Tanaka.
The contract also represents the most guaranteed dollars ever given to a pitcher, surpassing Gerrit Cole's nine-year, $324 million deal with the Yankees.
The Dodgers, who beat teams including the Yankees and the New York Mets to Yamamoto's signature, are expected to pay a posting fee of around $50.6 million to the Buffaloes.
Yamamoto had a 16-6 record with a career-best 1.21 ERA and 169 strikeouts over 164 innings in 23 games this year. On Sept. 9, he became only the third pitcher in the history of Japanese pro baseball to throw no-hitters in consecutive years.
He represents the second major free agency coup of this offseason for the Dodgers, who signed Ohtani to a $700 million, 10-year deal earlier this month. The two were also teammates on Japan's 2023 World Baseball Classic-winning roster.
Yamamoto has a 70-29 career record with a 1.82 ERA in seven years, all with the Buffaloes.
The Okayama Prefecture native has been both PL MVP and winner of the Sawamura Award, for Japanese baseball's top starting pitcher, the past three seasons, helping Orix win three league pennants over the same span.
He contributed to Japan winning the Tokyo Olympic baseball gold medal on home soil in the summer of 2021.
The Dodgers recently added right-hander Tyler Glasnow to a roster in need of more pitching. Looking to win their first World Series since 2020, they will open the 2024 season with a two-game series in Seoul from March 20 against Yu Darvish's San Diego Padres.
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