Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s record-breaking $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers includes opt-out clauses tied to his pitching elbow’s health.
If he undergoes Tommy John surgery or misses 134 consecutive days due to a right elbow injury between 2024 and 2029, he can opt out after the 2031 and 2033 World Series. Otherwise, he can opt out after the 2029 and 2031 World Series.
The contract includes a $10 million conditional option for 2036 and allows Yamamoto to opt out if traded. He will earn $5 million in 2024, $10 million in 2025, and $12 million in 2026, with salaries increasing to $26 million by 2027. The Dodgers will pay a $50.6 million posting fee to Yamamoto’s Japanese team, the Orix Buffaloes.
Yamamoto’s contract surpasses Gerrit Cole’s $324 million deal and is the longest for a pitcher in MLB history. The Dodgers have committed $1.2 billion to Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, and Tyler Glasnow this offseason. Yamamoto has never pitched in the MLB but has a impressive record in Japan, striking out 169 and walking 28 in 164 innings last season.
His contract includes a full-time interpreter, personal trainer, and physical therapist, as well as a hotel suite on road trips and five round-trip airline tickets each year.
Yamamoto cannot be assigned to the minor leagues without his consent. The Yankees had proposed a $300 million, 10-year contract, but the Dodgers secured the deal with a longer commitment.