The Los Angeles Dodgers won the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes in the offseason by signing the Japanese superstar to a mammoth 12-year deal that's worth $325 million. However, it can be noted that Yamamoto's contract with the Dodgers has opt-out options, though, that are largely dependent on the health of his elbow (h/t Ronald Blum of the Associated Press)

“If Yamamoto has Tommy John surgery or is on the injured list for a right elbow injury for 134 consecutive service days from 2024-29, he would have the right to opt out after the 2031 and 2033 World Series, according to terms of the deal obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday. If he avoids Tommy John surgery and doesn’t miss that much time with an elbow issue during that window, he can instead opt out after the 2029 and 2031 World Series.”

Yamamoto has yet to throw his first pitch in the big leagues but the anticipation for his appearance in the 2024 MLB season has been off the charts. That can only get even more intense as the start of the new campaign closes in. Speculating about his chances to leave the Dodgers is too early of an activity, but that's an interesting thought to tackle, to say the least.

In any case, the focus of Yamamoto is on helping the Dodgers get over the hump and win the World Series again. The Dodgers have won a total of 211 games in the last two regular seasons but only have a single playoff win to show over the same stretch.