Are we already best friends? New $1 billion duet for Dodgers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani have supper together a few days after they became teammates.
While out to dinner on Saturday night, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani, both new Dodgers colleagues, wasted little time getting to know each other.
They were obviously in the celebratory mood after the Japanese duo inked massive deals with the Los Angeles club in the past several weeks.
Earlier this month, Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million deal, making it the largest contract in sports history.
After competing with the Mets and the New York Yankees, the Dodgers were able to snag pitcher Yamamoto, who signed a 12-year, $325 million deal.
There have been rumors circulating since the Yamamoto deal was finalized that his desire to play with Ohtani was a major factor in his decision to sign with the Dodgers.
He and his new teammate went out to dinner on Saturday, and he has already begun to become friendly with her.
Nobu restaurant chain founder and celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa shared a photo of the two of them at his Beverly Hills restaurant, Matsuhisa, carrying a dish of food.
According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Yamamoto chose to play in the United States so he could team up with Shohei Ohtani, the most sought-after athlete available this winter.
According to a person familiar with the Japanese baseball world, Yamamoto’s desire to play with Ohtani and be a Dodger was unorganized.
On December 9, Ohtani inked a deal with the Dodgers, and late Thursday night, Yamamoto made his move to Los Angeles official.
It is said that Yamamoto was given a contract equal to $300 million by the New York Yankees, while the Mets allegedly made a similar offer.
Ohtani was reportedly going to Thursday night’s NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams with his fellow Dodgers new guy, according to reports that surfaced earlier this week.
The announcement that the pitcher had signed a three-quarters of a million dollar, ten-year agreement to join Ohtani with the Dodgers came out on the same night, so he must have been on the opposite side of town.
Following his VIP treatment at SoFi Stadium, Ohtani has had a hectic few days.
In a pre-game photo op, the Japanese sensation smiled happily with a Los Angeles Rams jersey bearing the number 17.
After that, Ohtani was presented to New Orleans Saints quarterback Matthew Stafford and head coach Sean McVay in the locker room after watching the Rams defeat them 30-22 from a suite.