Yoshinobu Yamamoto Reveals Why He Chose Dodgers Over New York Teams

Yoshinobu Yamamoto had several contenders offering him massive deals this offseason. Both the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets reportedly offered him the same 12-year, $325 million contract, while the New York Yankees were said to have offered him a 10-year, $300 million.

Yamamoto knew he could get record-breaking money, and he also knew he would be able to play for a big market. So why did he end up choosing the Dodgers?

While there were some reports about him preferring the West Coast, he told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that wasn’t an overwhelming factor in the decision. Instead, Yamamoto said the main reason was the fact that the Dodgers were the Dodgers.

“I really got the impression that the Dodgers were very successful for a very long time. And just that the atmosphere with the organization was really good.”

Via Joel Sherman, New York Post

The Dodgers are not only coming off 11 straight postseason appearances — with 10 of those being via winning the National League West — but they also had just signed the best player in the sport to a record-breaking $700 million deal.

Shohei Ohtani joined a superstar core of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, and the Dodgers made sure to put the pieces around those big three to succeed.

Yamamoto, as well as Ohtani, saw the success that the Dodgers have had over the last decade, and also understood the success they want to have over the next decade.

Although the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series, the team staffers told Ohtani that they considered the last decade a failure.

The Dodgers want to win, and they want to do it at the highest level.

Yamamoto saw that, and wanted to be a part of it for the next decade.

Photo Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports