There is no question Yoshinobu Yamamoto is already one of the most dominant pitchers to ever toe the rubber in the Japanese League.
The 25-year-old finished 17-6 with a 1.16 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 176 strikeouts in 171 innings during the 2023 season to win his third straight Pacific League MVP award. He has a 1.72 ERA and 986 strikeouts in 967.2 innings over seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes.
Even with that impressive resume, though, the idea of him securing a $300 million payday is tough to fathom considering Gerrit Cole (nine years, $324 million) is currently the only pitcher in MLB history to ink a $300 million deal.
To take that one step further, only five other pitchers have secured a $200 million payday, with Stephen Strasburg (seven years, $245 million), David Price (seven years, $217 million), Clayton Kershaw (seven years, $215 million), Max Scherzer (seven years, $210 million) and Zack Greinke (six years, $206.5 million) the other members of that exclusive club.
It's easy to buy a $200 million deal, especially considering he is only 25 years old, but is someone really going to give Yamamoto the second-richest contract ever for a pitcher? Never say never, but it feels like a stretch.
