Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a 12-year, $325 million contract, sources told ESPN on Thursday, ending a frenzied free agency with the largest deal for a pitcher in years and value in Major League Baseball history.
The deal, for which Los Angeles will pay an additional $50.6 million posting fee to Yamamoto's previous team, the Orix Buffaloes, pushed the Dodgers' free agent spending this winter to more than $1 billion, following the 10-year, $700 million contract they gave to Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto's countryman.
Yamamoto, who has a pair of opt-outs in the contract, will receive a $50 million signing bonus, sources said. Unlike Ohtani's deal, in which $680 million is deferred 10 years out, Yamamoto's contract does not contain any deferred money.
The deal, which is pending a physical, comes after a wild 48 hours in which the Dodgers outlasted the New York Mets, who offered a similar contract, and the New York Yankees, who were long the favorite but ended up offering $300 million, sources said.