The Phillies made an effort to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Dombrowski also discussed how much effort the club put forth in trying to sign Yamamato earlier this offseason.
"We were very involved in that," Dombrowski said "I think people would be shocked if they found out how much money we put on the table for him ... but he wanted to go to the Dodgers. That was just the way it was. I don't know if it had as much to do with the presentation of other things that happened earlier in his life where he was more of a Dodger fan."
"I think people would be shocked if they found out how much money we put on the table for him...but he wanted to go to the Dodgers. That was just the way it was."
— WIP Morning Show (@WIPMorningShow) February 7, 2024
— Dombrowski on Yoshinobu Yamamoto pic.twitter.com/bD8S8ImtRh
The signing of Yamamoto would have increased the Phillies' starting pitching depth at the top of the rotation. However, Philadelphia didn't have as much of a need for a top starting pitcher as some other teams following the Nola re-signing.
The Dodgers and some other suitors for the phenom pitcher, such as the New York Yankees and New York Mets, all had holes to fill in their respective starting rotations. Also, the length and amount of money Los Angeles agreed to with the pitcher — 12 years, $325 million carries a fair amount of risk for someone who has never pitched in Major League Baseball.
Adding Yamamato would have increased the pitching depth on paper. However, signing him would have created another roster decision: which pitcher gets bumped from the starting rotation? Sánchez? Taijuan Walker? It would be a good problem to have, but the Phillies felt they were satisfied with their rotation as constructed.
Dombrowski keeping an open mind with future roster changes
Dombrowski mentioned he is doing his job of keeping an open mind to any potential roster changes with spring training beginning next week.
"You keep an open mind towards everything," he said. "Every single day, I'm looking at who our list of players are, who might make sense for us. Not only now but also during spring training, we'll keep abreast of what's going on with all clubs."
The Phillies didn't wait long to resolve their primary need this offseason at the top of their rotation. Philadelphia has proven over the last few offseasons that if they have a roster need of significance, they will address it as they did with the additions of Harper, Realmuto, Schwarber, and Turner, to name a few.