Yoshinobu Yamamoto last week agreed to the richest contract ever given to a pitcher in Major League history, but he has yet to even pitch in MLB.
The 25-year-old right-hander and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a 12-year contract worth $325 million. The Dodgers continued to spend wildly, signing Gerrit Cole to a contract that was only $1 million more than the highest ever given to a pitcher.
Of course, most baseball fans in the United States had no idea who Yamamoto was at the start of the free agency period.
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Josh Reddick #22 of the Houston Astros plays against the Detroit Tigers during a spring training baseball game at FITTEAM Ballpark in Palm Beach on March 9, 2020 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Astros defeated the Tigers 2-1. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Rumors abounded during the season that Yamamoto would receive $200 million in free agency. That alone was the largest contract in history for a Japanese player, and the largest contract in history for a player who had never played in the major leagues.
As a result, former MLB outfielder Josh Reddick seemed perplexed as to how Yamamoto could come up with such a contract.
“How can you give $325 million to a guy who has never pitched in MLB,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
When one user responded, “Baseball is ruined,” Reddick responded, “That's right.”
Team Japan's #18 Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches during the 2023 World Baseball Classic semifinal game against Mexico at Lawndepot Park on Monday, March 20, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Christopher Passatieri/Getty Images)
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Well, users on the platform were quick to react to Redick, who was a member of the Houston Astros in 2017. Redick is notorious for slamming into a trash can as part of an elaborate sign-stealing scheme en route to winning the World Series.
Many say Reddick was quick to remind Reddick of the cheating, even though he said baseball was ruined because of such a huge contract.
Those who didn't call the trash can also reminded Reddick that Japanese baseball had some of the best talent in the entire world, and that Yamamoto dominated baseball.
Yamamoto has been selected as the Japan Professional Baseball League's Pacific League MVP for three consecutive years. In seven seasons in Japan, Yamamoto posted a 1.72 ERA. He had a 1.21 ERA with the Orix Buffaloes this year. In Game 6 of the Japan Series, he threw 138 pitches, struck out 14 batters, and won 5-1. His highest ERA in a single season in Japan was 2.35 in 2017.
Shohei Otani #16 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto #16 of Team Japan win against the USA at the 2023 World Baseball Classic Championship on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at Lawn Depot Park in Miami, Florida. 18. (Rob Tringali/WBCI/MLB Photo, Getty Images)
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And, again to counter Redick, the Dodgers don't really care about money after signing Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million deal, with $680 million of that deferred.
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