With Dustin May out with injury, Julio Urias on administrative leave until further notice, and Clayton Kershaw injured and in free agency, the Los Angeles Dodgers know their offseason priority by now: add pitching.
Lots of it.
The market presents several alternatives for them: Shohei Ohtani is available just for money, although he probably won’t pitch in 2024.
Besides him, the Dodgers could look at Blake Snell, Sonny Gray, Eduardo Rodriguez, working a trade for Tyler Glasnow, etc.
There is one name in particular that is catching their attention the most: Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Recent reports confirm it, per Jon Morosi via B/R Walk-Off.
The Dodgers are among the most interested teams in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, per @jonmorosi pic.twitter.com/6aQ2Dn47g4
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) November 15, 2023
Throughout history, LA has had a long history of Japanese pitchers: Hideo Nomo, Takashi Saito, Hiroki Kuroda, Kenta Maeda, Yu Darvish, and others have worn the blue uniform.
LA is a desirable destination for Japanese players because they are relatively close to home, as opposed to being on the East Coast.
Yamamoto, 25, is perhaps the most talented pitcher in 2024 free agency.
He has dominated the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league for seven years, since he was a teenager, and posted a brilliant 1.48 ERA last year, in 164 innings with the Orix Buffaloes.
He struck out 169 hitters, posted a 0.88 WHIP, and a 16-6 record in the regular season.
Yamamoto, a right-hander, was also phenomenal in the World Baseball Classic, helping Japan win its third title.
He would make the Dodgers rotation much, much better and deeper.
He is not expected to be cheap, though, as several contenders are tracking him.
We should know his destination soon enough, but the Dodgers, as they should, are very much interested.
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