Yoshinobu Yamamoto does not want to be in the Shohei Ohtani’s shadow

The Los Angeles Dodgers made an attractive offer to Shohei Ohtani, with a 10-year contract worth $700 million to bring him on board. Their focus now is on strengthening their pitching staff for the 2024 Major League Baseball season.

Over the weekend, the Dodgers announced the signing of Tyler Glasnow, who will be part of the starting rotation alongside Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller. After Ohtani, the team’s second priority in this year’s Major League free agency is to acquire Yoshinobu Yamamoto, considered the best Japanese pitcher of the last decade.

Yamamoto distances from the Dodgers

Now that Shohei Ohtani has decided to receive only $2 million a year, the rest of the $680 million will come at the end of his contract in 2033. This has allowed the Dodgers to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto this winter, as they now have sufficient purchasing power. Yamamoto is considered the best pitcher in this free agency and is expected to receive a contract of around $300 million due to his potential.

The Los Angeles franchise is still in pole position to secure the signing of Yamamoto. Still, according to The New York Post, the right-handed starter would analyze declining the proposal. The reason is straightforward, and according to the report, he does not want to be under the shadow of Shohei Ohtani. Yamamoto wants to monopolize the spotlight and make his own history in Major League Baseball.

But playing alongside Shohei Ohtani could make his transition from Japan to the United States easier and give him a better chance to win the World Series in his first few years in the big leagues. But telling his own story may mean more to the 25-year-old pitcher, and going to the New York Yankees would give him that option.