Yankees harshly reminded of Yoshinobu Yamamoto free agency in World Series Game 2

Heading into the 2024 season, the New York Yankees were looking to build MLB's next superteam. They had just traded for Juan Soto and then threw their hat in the ring for Japanese starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto's free agency.

But after drawing a line in the sand with those negotiations, the Yankees watched Yamamoto sign a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. New York made an offer in the $300 million range that presented other advantages, but it later became obvious Yamamoto just always wanted to be a Dodger.

Oh well. The Yankees, in the end, were probably right not to pay Yamamoto more than Gerrit Cole, especially since the former NPB star had never thrown a pitch in MLB. But it still hurt. They were close, and they lost out to their direct NL competition, who they would eventually meet in the World Series.

In Game 2 of the Fall Classic on Saturday night, Yamamoto took the mound for the Dodgers. Any guesses as to what happened? Going once ... going twice ...

He dominated New York en route in a rather easy coast-to-coast win. Will Yamamoto be the player that makes the difference between these two teams? That's unclear. But his 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball completely saved the Dodgers' bullpen for Games 3-5 in the Bronx. Yamamoto did essentially what Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón were supposed to do, but Cole was halted by his manager and Rodón predictably blew up.

Yamamoto allowed just one run on one hit and two walks. He gave up a home run to Juan Soto after challenging him with a fastball on a 2-2 count. That was the only battle he lost. And it came in his most important outing of the season, which is exactly what you pay that $325 million for.

The Yankees paid Cole the same amount back in 2019 and have largely gotten mixed results, though fans trust him when he gets the ball in a must-win situation. That $162 million for Rodón? Still waiting to see any sort of return on that. His playoff struggles (and struggles in general) have highlighted the need for someone like Yamamoto, who is playing the part his rookie season. He has two scoreless playoff outings, one bad one, and one that just got the job done in the NLCS.

The Dodgers and Yankees are viewed as the two pillars of each league. They have winning histories and the deepest pockets in terms of acquiring talent. However, only the Dodgers, so far, have seen the proper returns on their investments.

Aaron Judge has disappeared. Carlos Rodón is turning into one of the worst free agency expenditures of the modern era. DJ LeMahieu was banished from this postseason roster. Anthony Rizzo has multiple broken fingers and still really hasn't been worth $20 million per season. Marcus Stroman has yet to pitch an inning in the playoffs. Only Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole have delivered so far in terms of high-end payroll commitments. Maybe Juan Soto will count for that eventually, but he's only signed through 2024.

So, yeah, this is another harsh reminder that the Yankees struggle to allocate their plentiful funds properly while their mirror image in the NL has been eons ahead of the them over the past decade.