MLB Rumors: Dodgers Meeting with Yoshinobu Yamamoto amid Yankees, Mets, Red Sox Buzz

The Los Angeles Dodgers don't appear to be done adding this winter after signing Shohei Ohtani to a record-setting 10-year, $700 million deal, and it looks like they have their sights set on another of baseball's top free agents.

L.A. is meeting with Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Tuesday, per Russell Dorsey of Bally Sports and Stadium.

Yamamoto is one of the best pitchers available this offseason and he's drawing interest from many of Major League Baseball's top contenders.

The 25-year-old has already met with the New York Yankees, New York Mets and San Francisco Giants, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported on Tuesday. Feinsand added that he is also scheduled to meet with the Boston Red Sox and is likely to meet with two-to-three more teams after that, including the Toronto Blue Jays.

Landing Yamamoto on top of Ohtani would be a game-changer for the Dodgers as he would join a rotation that includes Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller and Ryan Yarbrough in 2024.

L.A.'s rotation will get even stronger in 2025 as Ohtani will return to pitching after undergoing elbow surgery this offseason. Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May are also projected to return from Tommy John surgery in 2025.

Yamamoto has spent the last seven seasons playing for Nippon Professional Baseball's Orix Buffaloes in Japan. He went 17-6 in 2023 with a 1.16 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 176 strikeouts in 171 innings across 24 games.

The Dodgers would be able to fit Yamamoto's salary into the lineup as Ohtani deferred the majority of his annual salary until the conclusion of his contract with the team. Ohtani will earn roughly $2 million per year over his 10-year contract, with the deferred money paid to him between 2034 through 2043.

In addition to Yamamoto, the Dodgers are also targeting closer Josh Hader, according to Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci.

After being eliminated in the National League Division Series in each of the last two seasons, L.A.'s aggressive approach this winter could pay dividends for the franchise for the foreseeable future as the Dodgers aim to bring many more titles to the city.