The Dodgers announced Yoshinobu Yamamoto's contract for the next twelve years for a record $325 million. In the end, the Dodgers were able to persuade the pitcher to sign before other teams made their final offers. Last Wednesday, at a press conference held in Chavez Ravine, the mystery was solved. Yamamoto will finally be a teammate of Shohei Ohtani, whom the team recently signed to a 10-year contract worth $700 million.

The Yankees had offered Yamamoto $300 million over 10 years and the Mets $325 million over 12 years, according to the Los Angeles Times. "In a statement released by the team and reported by the media, including the Los Angeles Times, Yamamoto said, "I am very excited to be wearing Dodger blue. "I can't wait to play at Dodger Stadium."

As soon as he put on the shirt of his new team, the player expressed his satisfaction: "My name is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LA Dodgers player. I am very excited to become a member of this historic franchise. I cannot express what it means to me to say that Los Angeles is my new home.

The player is the 12th Japan-born player in Dodgers history. His upbringing in his native country has been instrumental in his boundless development. In one of baseball's biggest games of the year, he shared the spotlight with Ohtani to help Japan win the WBSC showdown against the USA. Now they are Dodgers teammates. Yamamoto has won the Sawamura Award, the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young, and the Pacific League MVP award the last three years.

Yamamoto has always been a very special and resourceful player. Despite his lack of physical gifts - he stands just 1.70 metres tall - he has a very effective pitching style. Yamamoto's strengths as a pitcher include a reliable splitter, an effective four-seam fastball and a powerful curveball. All thrown with excellent control. Yamamoto won the MVP award in the Nippon Pacific League for three consecutive seasons.

"You don't win three MVP awards at the age of 25 without an extraordinary combination of talent, work ethic and mental toughness," Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman added in a statement released by the team. 

Yamamoto's contract includes many other figures that have not been disclosed. However, local media suggest that there could be a $50 million signing bonus and mid-contract opt-out clauses. The Dodgers will also pay the Orix Buffaloes of Japan, Yamamoto's former team.