Philadelphia Phillies Boss Sheds Light on Yamamoto Pursuit
The Philadelphia Phillies were willing to make one more massive splash this offseason. It had to be for the right player and they deemed that person to be Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The Phillies sent a contingent to Los Angeles last week in an attempt to persuade Yamamoto to sign and play in Philadelphia.
As we now know, Yamamoto declined that offer and instead signed a 12-year, $325 million deal that includes a $50 million signing bonus. Not bad for a pitcher for has never thrown a single pitch in the MLB. In fact, it's the richest contract any pitcher has received in the history of the game.
So, just how competitive were the Phillies in their pursuit of Yamamoto? Very according to Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski who spoke with MLB.com.
“I think we were extremely competitive,” Dombrowski said. “We were very, very competitive. We were aggressive. When we made our presentation [last week in Los Angeles], I think our guys did a tremendous job. I think they presented the organization well.”
“I don’t think it had anything to do with anything else, he just preferred to be a Dodger,” Dombrowski said. “Ultimately he was just not a person attuned to coming to Philly.”
It's a blow for Philadelphia who was hoping to acquire a generational talent. Of course, it's tough when a player has their mind set on the glitz and glamor of New York and Los Angeles. Ultimately, it was too much to overcome for Philadelphia who will now have to look at improving their club in a different way.
Still, it goes to show that Dombrowski and owner John Middleton have no issue shelling out the cash when it comes to the right player and the right fit for the franchise.
