The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to pay a record $700 million to obtain the services of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, but according to one MLB insider, they may not be done yet.
MLB Network Insider and New York Post columnist Jon Heyman said that it is believed the Dodgers are still interested in NPB superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and that they have the financial resources it would take to sign him.
“Don't count the Dodgers out on Yamamoto. They could do both. They could do Ohtani and Yamamoto,” Heyman said on MLB Tonight.
Many people believed that shelling out such a large amount of money for Ohtani would take the Dodgers out of the running for Yamamoto, but this appears not to be the case.
If the Dodgers are indeed able to sign both stars, it would give them a formidable pitching staff and likely make them World Series favorites.
Rumors have been swirling in recent days, with some sources claiming that Yamamoto would prefer to play with another Japanese player, while others reported that he wouldn’t be opposed to that scenario. It is unclear how these rumors relate to Ohtani given that the new Dodgers star is the most recognizable Japanese player in the world and Yamamoto would clearly be second fiddle to the two-way player.
Heyman also claimed that the New York Mets, New York Yankees, and Dodgers are the three perceived favorites to acquire Yamamoto, listing them in that order.
After striking out on both Ohtani and Juan Soto, Mets owner Steve Cohen could be itching to make a big splash and put his team and himself back in the newspaper headlines.
It has been widely reported that Ohtani’s contract with the Dodgers includes significant deferments, and that these deferments were Ohtani’s idea in order to allow the team more flexibility to build a roster capable of winning a championship around him.
If these reports and Heyman’s sources are indeed accurate, the Dodgers may still be looking to upgrade their pitching staff by adding another Japanese superstar to their starting rotation.
Follow Us
Subscribe
