NL West Rivals Met With Dodgers Top Starting Pitcher Target Over Weekend

Dodgers top free agent target met with a division rival.

With Shohei Ohtani officially in the Los Angeles Dodgers checkbook, the Dodgers can now turn their attention to other areas the team needs this offseason. Unfortunately for them, one of their top targets has met with a division rival.

Per Buster Olney of ESPN, the San Francisco Giants have met with coveted free agent from Japan, Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Source: The Giants met yesterday with pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He's got a lot of big market teams bidding for his services.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 11, 2023

While the Dodgers did sign Ohtani, the job isn't done, and letting San Francisco land Yamamoto would be a huge disappointment for the organization. The state of the Dodgers' starting staff currently is in desperate need of a retool.

Over the years, the Giants have missed out on star after star including names like Bryce Harper, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa. The organization is now finding itself in an act move as it needs to bolster its lineup for next season.

Last year, the Giants finished fourth in the NL West with a record of 79-83. The pitching staff finished with a collective ERA of 4.02.

As of now, the Dodgers rotation features just Bobbly Miller and Walker Buehler, and maybe Clayton Kershaw, if he resigns with the club.

The Dodgers' pitching staff had a below-average performance last year when they ranked 13th in the team ERA at 4.06. However, from 2015 to 2023, the Dodgers have consistently maintained a top-five team ERA in MLB, even leading the league in ERA from 2019 to 2022.

Immediately after it was reported that the Dodgers signed Ohtani, the Dodgers quickly shifted their attention to going after Yamamoto as he was listed as their next target.

Although the Dodgers did sign Ohtani, he will not pitch in 2024 due to tearing his UCL with the Angels last season.

The opportunity to sign Yamamoto would be everything for LA, as he was a dominant pitcher in Japan. Last season, he put together one of his best seasons yet for the Orix Buffaloes pitching with a 17-6 record, 1.16 ERA, and 176 strikeouts.

During his time in Japan, Yamamoto was the Pacific League MVP from 2021-2023 and was the Pacific League strikeout leader from 2020-2023.

As free agency has gone on, Andy Martino of SNY has reported that Yamamoto would be interested in playing on a team that already has a Japanese player on it. With the recent signing of Ohtani, that could put the Dodgers into Yamamoto's favor.