Dodgers praised for passing on Astros' $54 million 'problem'
Early results indicate Los Angeles may have dodged a bullet.
Nov 7, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodger president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman addresses the media at a press conference at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Dodgers praised for passing on Astros' $54 million 'problem' originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Los Angeles Dodgers invest more money in their club's roster than any organization in baseball. They are deeply invested in becoming the first franchise to win three consecutive World Series since the New York Yankees accomplished the feat from 1998-2000. A part of their investment is dependent on their scouting in Asia, specifically Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.
Both World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto and right-hander Roki Sasaki signed contracts with the Dodgers from NPB, and Los Angeles could've made another move for a Japanese ace this past offseason. However, they passed on the 27-year-old, who signed a three-year deal with the Houston Astros instead. Dodgers praised for letting Tatsuya Imai sign with Astros "Except the Dodgers looked at that same market and passed," FanSided's Pete Dwyer wrote about Imai's contract with the Astros on Monday.
"Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on a $325 million deal, and he just threw six innings against the Diamondbacks on Opening Day without surrendering a walk. Tyler Glasnow is locked in through 2028. The Dodgers' rotation was already full, sure, but they evaluated Imai and made their bet somewhere else.