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Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. How’s that for a sales team pitching their model to Japanese free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto?
All three stars were in attendance Tuesday for the Dodgers’ right-field show at Dodger Stadium, according to multiple people familiar with the details of the meeting.
The pitch to Yamamoto was, on the face of it, correct. As the free agent entered the ballpark, video footage showing his name and face in a Dodgers uniform flashed across the goalpost. Yamamoto is one of the most sought after talents in the game, the Mets, Yankees, Giants, Blue Jays, Red Sox and others are all vying for his services. And for a few hours on Tuesday, the Dodgers’ push included star power.
Betts, whom Yamamoto is said to have admired as a player, was in attendance. So did Freeman, the MVP candidate who represented the franchise’s biggest free agent so far this week. She also had her future boyfriend, Will Smith. But the most famous name is the new Dodger, which will be officially announced at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
Ohtani, Yamamoto’s teammate with Samurai Japan during the World Baseball Classic last spring, attended the meeting. Just two weeks ago, he was on the other side of a transfer, which Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said didn’t involve any players and was just focused on strengthening things. all Ohtani knows about the franchise.
It worked: Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal had just been finalized the night before and included an unprecedented structure that deferred 97 percent of his salary until the end of the season. contract. The Game written this week. It’s a trade, those familiar with its details say, that’s Ohtani’s view. And it was intended to be used for this very reason: to be able to continue spending and add talent with it.
Meanwhile, he and the rest of the Dodgers’ new winning team of superstars were among those trying to emulate Yamamoto. The 25-year-old right-hander’s market has skyrocketed in recent weeks because he could be a rare $200 million pitcher (or more) by the time he makes his decision this month. But the Dodgers, who have already committed nearly $718 million in guaranteed salary this winter, remain in the mix. The extension of Ohtani’s contract is expected to generate an annual financial tax of a record $ 46 million but the club is expected to be below the first level for penalties.
Since the Dodgers will only pay Ohtani $2 million next season and don’t need to start setting aside two seasons worth of deferred salary, the Dodgers have an advantage. good to use the shipping fee that will come with the nine-figure contract they make. grab off when they land on Yamamoto. Like The Game Written on Wednesday, the salary cap on a $300 million contract would be $46.9 million, matching what the club must receive each year for the deferred compensation for Ohtani beginning in the 2026.
And, like The Athletic’s Will Sammon wrote in October that Yamamoto “is believed to be open-minded about the possibility of playing with another Japanese player.”
So the Dodgers remain at the top of the market, trying to lure Yamamoto and working on the trade front, sources said. The Game The Dodgers are working on a trade with the Rays to get right-hander Tyler Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot for right-hander Ryan Pepiot and outfielder Jonny DeLuca. No deal is done.
The Dodgers already have a terrific three. Even with Ohtani in the fold, they don’t stop.
(Photo of Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Megan Briggs/Getty Images)