Opt-outs in Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Dodgers contract tied to elbow health
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers’ 12-year contract with Japanese free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the longest deal ever for a pitcher. But it might not be that long.
According to contract details obtained by the Associated Press, Yamamoto will have two opportunities to opt out of his record-setting $325 million contract with the Dodgers with the timing dependent on how healthy the 25-year-old right-hander is during the first half of his contract with the team.
If Yamamoto stays healthy, he could choose to opt out of his contract with the Dodgers after six or eight years (the 2029 and 2031 seasons).
But if he has an elbow injury that lands him on the injured list for 134 or more consecutive days or he has Tommy John surgery (which would likely sideline him for 12 to 15 months) from 2024 through 2029, the opt-out opportunities would be postponed until after the eighth and 10th years of the contract (2031 and 2033).
Additionally, the Dodgers could gain a $10 million conditional option for a 13th season (2036) based on Yamamoto’s health.
In order to stay healthy with the Dodgers, Yamamoto will have to transition from pitching once a week in Japan to a heavier workload in MLB. The ball used in Japan is also slightly different. Yamamoto acknowledged those challenges during the press conference heralding his arrival in Los Angeles last month.
“It was not only the couple things you mentioned, but also coming over to a new country and making sure that I can adjust to that four- or five-day schedule from the once-a-week (schedule in Japan),” Yamamoto said through his interpreter. “Everything in general, from the food I have to eat, to where I’m going to be living and commuting to the stadium and everything.
“It’s all going to be a new beginning for me. So I’m really looking forward to tackling those challenges.”
General Manager Brandon Gomes said the Dodgers’ intense scouting of Yamamoto over the past year left them impressed with his overall approach to staying healthy and performing at his best.
“As we began to learn more about Yoshinobu, there was no question that the commitment on the field was just as much as the commitment off the field,” Gomes said. “Whether it is his meticulous recovery and workout routine in between starts, or a calculated nutrition plan to make sure he’s at his peak come game day, the desire to do everything he can to help his team win is exactly what we are looking for when trying to bring somebody into our environment and culture. We couldn’t be happier that he’s going to be wearing Dodger blue.”
If Yamamoto exercises one of his opt-out opportunities, he would be sacrificing the most lucrative years of the deal with the Dodgers. The contract is significantly backloaded.
Yamamoto will make just $5 million in salary this season with a $50 million signing bonus due in two installments. His salary rises to $10 million in 2025 and $12 million in 2026 before jumping to $26 million for three seasons (2027-29) and $29 million for two (2030-31). Yamamoto’s salary is set at $28 million per year from 2032-35 – if he doesn’t opt out.
As part of the deal under the posting system between MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball, the Dodgers will pay a posting fee of $50,625,000 to the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Pacific League, raising the cost of Yamamoto to the team to just over $375 million.
Yamamoto was 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA last season, striking out 169 and walking 28 in 164 innings. He was 70-29 with a 1.82 ERA in seven seasons with the Buffaloes.
Yamamoto’s Dodgers contract does not include a no-trade clause but he cannot be sent to the minors without his consent and he could opt out of the contract after the end of any season in which he is traded.
His contract includes a full-time interpreter, personal trainer and physical therapist. He gets a hotel suite on road trips and five round-trip airline tickets each year.