Yoshinobu Yamamoto joined the Los Angeles Dodgers just days after Shohei Ohtani did the same, but their decisions apparently had very little to do with each other.
Yamamoto was introduced as a Dodger on Wednesday, and made an interesting admission about how his signing related to Ohtani’s. The star pitcher said he likely would have chosen to sign with the Dodgers no matter what, even if Ohtani had gone elsewhere.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto said even if Shohei Ohtani signed somewhere else, he still would have likely chosen the Dodgers
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) December 27, 2023
Yamamoto and Ohtani looked like a very expensive package deal, but they evidently decided to sign with the Dodgers independently of each other. It undoubtedly helped that the Dodgers gave Yamamoto a massive contract to sign, going above and beyond what rivals were willing to do.
The Mets and Yankees both made big pushes for Yamamoto, but the pitcher was being linked to the Dodgers even before Ohtani made his own decision. While Ohtani going to Los Angeles probably did not hurt, it sounds like they were Yamamoto’s preference all along.
