Yoshinobu Yamamoto Teammate Believes Dodgers Target Could Win Cy Young Next Season

Aside from Shohei Ohtani, their is only one other player in baseball that is becoming the most coveted free agent this offseason. His name is Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

After electing to enter MLB free agency this offseason, Yamamoto has a plethora of teams interested in him as he is a former three-time Pacific League MVP in Japan and is a four-time ERA leader in 2019 and 2021-2023.

One of Yamamoto’s former teammates and a former MLB player, David MacKinnon from the Orix Buffaloes, said to Will Salmon of The Athletic that the three-time MVP could easily win a Cy Young award in the MLB as soon as next season.

“He legitimately could win your Cy Young Award next year,” MacKinnon says he has insisted to friends. “Like, he’s that good. It’s not some scrub coming over here. He’s disgusting.”

Per Will Salmon of The Athletic

Yamamoto seemed to prove this expectation in the World Baseball Classic this past winter as he pitched in two games earning himself a 1-0 record and a 2.45 ERA while striking out 12 batters and holding hitters to a batting average of .160.

Additionally, Yamamoto is only 25 years old right now and is just entering the prime of his career.

With Julio Urias likely to never pitch again with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw showing his age and the Dodgers’ hopes of signing Ohtani this offseason, a pairing of Shohei alongside Yamamoto would be a dream come true for the organization.

In 2025, the Dodgers could very well have one of the best rotations in baseball as it could feature Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller, Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Tony Gonsolin or Dustin May. That could compete as one of the best rotations in MLB history.Mandatory Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY SportsHave you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!