Entering the offseason, the Dodgers are expected to be one of the more aggressive teams around the league. They want to upgrade their roster from a year ago, with the main priority being to improve their starting rotation.
The Dodgers have plenty of options to do so, and they have been linked to multiple top-tier guys already. But one player that they are very interested in is Japanese pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was just posted to start negotiating with teams.
Yamamoto is seen as the best pitcher to come from Japan, and the Dodgers would land an ace-level pitcher if they signed him. But in addition to Yamamoto, the Dodgers have made it no secret that they plan to go after two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, as well.
Ohtani looks like the priority at this point, but it has been reported that the Dodgers want to land both players. And MLB insider Jon Heyman threw some gas onto the speculative fire while appearing on MLB Network.
“Dodgers love Yamamoto. They are the one team really thinking maybe we can sign both Yamamoto and Ohtani. That would be interesting.”
Per Jon Heyman via MLB Network
If the Dodgers were to sign both players, it would be seen as them going truly all-in. Fans have been clamoring for them to make moves like this for a while now, and it would be received by the fanbase extremely well.
Ohtani would bring the star power and give LA a great designated hitter for 2024. And going forward, he plans to return to the mound in 2025 after recovering from a torn UCL.
Yamamoto would be the front-line starter that the Dodgers have been looking for, and they could build their rotation around him for years. He is just 25 years old, so there is plenty of time to grow his game.
The Dodgers are seen as major players for both guys, but it remains to be seen if they will land either one of them. However, if they were to get even one of them, the team would be set up extremely well for the present and the future.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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