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☆ MLB Opening Day: 2024 regular season kicks off in full with Shohei Ohtani cloud looming
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Although fans have been treated to a glimpse of MLB action, the 2024 season kicks off in full on Thursday with Opening Day. How to watchThe Opening Day slate of games takes place on Thursday, March 28, with 26 teams taking to the field. The Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Angels kick off the day’s action at 3:05 PM ET at Camden Yards in Maryland. Ohtani cloud overshadows Dodgers startThe majority of the Los Angeles Dodgers offseason was dominated with optimism and talk of a World Series challenge after the acquisition of two-time MVP Shohei Ohtani and pitching phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani prepares for a pitch during the Dodgers' preseason game against the Los Angeles Angels.

Persons: Tuesday’s Francis Scott Key, Shohei Ohtani, phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani, Ippei, Mizuhara, Yamamoto, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Tyler Glasnow, Walker Buehler, Harry, Juan Soto, Soto, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole, Stanton, Nathan Ray Seebeck, Ronald Acuña Jr, Acuña, Tim Nwachukwu, Wyatt Longford Organizations: CNN, Seoul, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Deigo Padres, MLB, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, Camden, Orioles, Dodgers, ESPN, Los Angeles Times, baseball’s, League, St, Louis Cardinals, Bronx Bombers, New York Yankees, Yankees, San Diego Padres, San, American League, Houston Astros, Judge, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, National League, Braves, NL, Phillies, National, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins –, Cleveland Guardians, Oakland Athletics –, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Locations: South Korea, Camden Yards, Maryland, Seoul, Ohtani, San Diego, Atlanta, Texas

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Catcher Will Smith and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a $140 million, 10-year contract Wednesday, raising the team's spending to nearly $1.4 billion for five key players since December. He opened the last week by going 5 for 10 with two RBIs as the Dodgers split a two-game series against San Diego at Seoul, South Korea. The 28-year-old was a first-time All-Star last year, when he hit .261 with 19 homers and 76 RBIs. Smith has a .263 average with 91 homers and 308 RBIs in six seasons with the Dodgers. Los Angeles has committed $1,365,687,500 to two-way star Shohei Ohtani ($700 million for 10 years), right-handers Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($325 million for 12 years) and Tyler Glasnow ($136,562,500 for five years), outfielder Teoscar Hernández ($23.5 million for one year) and Smith.

Persons: Will Smith, Smith's, Smith, Shohei, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Teoscar Hernández Organizations: ANGELES, Los Angeles Dodgers, Dodgers, San Diego Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Los Angeles

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani walked through his new spring training clubhouse wearing a simple white T-shirt with one word “BOSS” across the front in big, dark capital letters. The two-time Most Valuable Player might not be in charge of these Los Angeles Dodgers, but there's little doubt who commands the most attention. “Try to get along with all the guys and teammates.”The Dodgers had their first official workout of spring training on Friday, with pitchers and catchers reporting. Los Angeles could start a lineup that includes fellow All-Stars like Betts, Freeman, Max Muncy and Will Smith. The Ohtani deal was even richer than many expected and then days later, Los Angeles landed right-handed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto with a $325 million, 12-year deal.

Persons: Shohei Ohtani, ”, Ohtani, baseball's, ” Ohtani, “, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman haven't, Betts, Freeman, Max Muncy, Will Smith, Ohtani's, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dave Roberts, he's, ” Roberts, I've, Taylor Swift, harkened, Barry Bonds Organizations: Los Angeles Dodgers, Dodgers, San, San Francisco Giants Locations: GLENDALE, Ariz, San Diego, Seoul, South Korea, Angeles, Los Angeles, Arizona

Left-hander James Paxton and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to an $11 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. Paxton can earn up to $13 million if he is healthy during the early part of the season and starts at least 20 games. Paxton can earn $1 million in performance bonuses for starts: $250,000 each for 16 and 18, and $500,000 for 20. A 35-year-old left-hander, Paxton was 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA last year in his only season with the Boston Red Sox. He signed a $10 million, two-year contract with Boston and returned to make seven minor league appearances late in the 2022 season.

Persons: James Paxton, Paxton, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Walker Buehler, Tommy John, Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan, spender, Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernández, didn't, ___ Organizations: Los Angeles Dodgers, Associated Press, Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Seattle, Boston, New York Yankees Locations: Los Angeles, Boston

After saying he had not met with Ohtani, Counsell was asked whether anyone in the Cubs front office had. Counsell replied: “I have not.”Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, another prized free agent, could be sought by the New York Yankees and Mets, who set payroll records this year in their third season under owner Steve Cohen. The Mets' projected final 2023 payroll is about $346 million and their luxury tax roughly $102 million. Political Cartoons View All 1283 Images“I don’t know if anybody can compete with Steve Cohen,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. He's had a lot of success and built an empire which has allowed him to do things like the Mets.

Persons: — Dave Roberts, Shohei, Roberts, Bob Fosse, Ross Atkins, I’m, Craig Counsell, Ohtani, Counsell, “, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Steve Cohen, ”, Brian Cashman, He's, ” Cashman, Juan Soto, Preller, Mike Shildt, Cashman, Alex Verdugo, Greg Weissert, Chris Devenski, Erick Fedde, he’s, Yamamoto, AP Sports Writers Teresa Walker, Jay Cohen, ___ Organizations: Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto, ” New Chicago Cubs, Cubs, New York Yankees, Mets, ” Yankees, Padres, New Padres, Soto, Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Tampa, NC Dinos, Chicago White Sox, Associated Press, Cleveland, MLB, Dodger, Dodgers, Orix Buffaloes, Lotte Marines, AP Sports Writers Locations: Tenn, ”, San Diego, Miami, South Korea, Japan

Big-name free agents appear in no hurry to strike deals at the winter meetings, biding time until Shohei Ohtani potentially breaks the record for richest contract set 4 1/2 years ago by Mike Trout. “It's probably a little slower from a conversation standpoint at a winter meetings than it normally would,” New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Monday. Behind Ohtani in the hitters free-agent pecking order are Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman, both represented by the sport's biggest agent, Scott Boras. Among starting pitchers, the market includes Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, also represented by Boras. “He’s going to make other pitchers better.”___AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker contributed to this report.

Persons: ., Shohei, Mike Trout, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, “ It's, ”, David Stearns, hasn't, ” Ohtani, Nez, Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Scott Boras, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Farhan Zaidi, “, Ross Atkins, Atkins, San Diego, Juan Soto, Jarred Kelenic, Marco Gonzales, Evan White, Cole Phillips, Jackson Kowar, Gonzales, White, Eugenio Suárez, Carlos Vargas, Seby Zavala, Scott Servais, “ That’s, Jackson Chourio, “ There’s, I’m, ” Chourio, Milwaukee, Wade Miley, Pat Murphy, “ He’s, Teresa M, Walker, ___ Organizations: ” New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels, Creative Artists Agency, Gaylord, Convention, Boras, San Francisco Giants, CBA, Blue Jays, San, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, Atlanta, Seattle, ” Mariners, Brewers Locations: Tenn, Nez Balelo, ” Toronto, Nashville, Seattle, Arizona, Milwaukee

☆ Yoshinobu Yamamoto: Japan’s pitching sensation is set to become MLB’s next star
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Watch out baseball fans; Japan’s next big star looks to be on the move. Pitching sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto is set to make a high-profile switch to Major League Baseball (MLB) during the offseason, after he was posted as a free agent by Japan’s Orix Buffaloes on Monday. The 25-year-old is expected to attract the attention of the league’s biggest franchises and could receive a highly-lucrative contract worth around $200m, per Reuters. Yamamoto has certainly impressed during the early part of his career, being awarded the Eiji Sawamura Award – given to the top starting pitcher in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) – on three occasions. Yamamoto is set to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui and current star Shohei Ohtani who have made the switch from Japan to the MLB.

Persons: Japan’s, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Yamamoto, Eiji Sawamura, –, Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Shohei Ohtani Organizations: CNN, Major League Baseball, Japan’s Orix Buffaloes, Reuters, Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, Triple Crown –, NPB’s Pacific League, Tokyo, The Athletic, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, LA Dodgers, MLB Locations: Japan

☆ Japanese pitching sensation Yamamoto posts for MLB free agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 20 (Reuters) - Yoshinobu Yamamoto is poised to become Major League Baseball's next big Japanese star after the 25-year-old pitching sensation posted as a free agent on Monday. Yamamoto was posted on Monday by the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) where he is a three-time winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award, which is equivalent to MLB's Cy Young Award. He won a gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and helped Japan to victory at the World Baseball Classic earlier this year. Per MLB rules, the window for teams to bid on Yamamoto opens on Tuesday and closes on Jan. 4. Reporting by Rory Carroll in San Francisco; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Yamamoto, Eiji Sawamura, MLB's Cy Young, Rory Carroll, Chizu Organizations: Major League Baseball's, Orix Buffaloes, Nippon Professional Baseball, Triple Crown, NPB's Pacific League, Tokyo Games, MLB, Thomson Locations: Japan, San Francisco

Aaron Nola is returning to the Philadelphia Phillies on a seven-year deal, according to a person familiar with the agreement. The 30-year-old Nola was a first-round draft pick by the Phillies in 2014, debuted with Philadelphia the next year and has been there his entire career. Nola helped Philadelphia secure an NL wild card in 2023, and then went 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in four playoff starts. Nola made five postseason starts when Philadelphia made it to the 2022 World Series before losing to Houston. Nola is 90-71 with a 3.72 ERA in 235 career starts over nine seasons — all with Philadelphia.

Persons: Aaron Nola, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Sonny Gray, Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez, Nola, He's, ___ Organizations: Philadelphia Phillies, Associated Press, ESPN, Phillies, Philadelphia, NL, Arizona, Houston, LSU Locations: Philadelphia, Baton Rouge , Louisiana

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani was among seven players who turned down $20,325,000 qualifying offers from their former teams Tuesday and remained on free agent market to pursue more lucrative contracts. In addition to Ohtani saying no to the Los Angeles Angels, others who declined to accept were outfielder Cody Bellinger (Chicago Cubs), pitchers Josh Hader and Blake Snell (San Diego), Aaron Nola (Philadelphia), Sonny Gray (Minnesota) and third baseman Matt Chapman (Toronto). A team signing the player could lose one or two draft picks. Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and only 10 of 131 offers have been accepted. Ohtani heads a free agent class that also includes starting pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery, along with Nola, Snell, Gray and Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is not attached to draft-pick compensation.

Persons: Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Josh Hader, Blake Snell, Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray, Matt Chapman, Eduardo Rodriguez, Jordan Montgomery, Snell, Gray, Yoshinobu Yamamoto Organizations: Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, Qualifying Locations: San Diego, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Toronto, Nola

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The race to add two-way baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani in a blockbuster free agency deal is off to a clandestine start. “Special player, that’s all I’ll say,” said Chris Young, general manager of the World Series champion Texas Rangers. “We may ask some questions, but I can’t tell you we’re diving all in,” Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said. Privately, they're surely discussing the developing Ohtani sweepstakes, which could cost the winning team upward of $500 million. “You have to have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, so on and so forth.

Persons: Shohei Ohtani, ”, Chris Young, “ We’re, Brian Cashman, “, Dana Brown, they're, “ There's, Perry Minasian, We've, Tommy John, Nathan Eovaldi, Jameson Taillon, Daniel Hudson, Jason Isringhausen, Walker Buehler —, TJ, —, Ohtani, He’s, There’s, he’s, Brown, ” Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Tim Anderson, Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray, Jordan Montgomery, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Mike Trout, ” Minasian, We're, Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto, ” Dipoto Organizations: Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, ” Houston Astros, Major League Baseball, Privately, Los Angeles Angels, ” Angels, He’s, MLB, Current Dodgers, Astros GM, Cubs, Former Angels, Seattle Mariners, Seattle GM, Mariners Locations: SCOTTSDALE, Ariz, Scottsdale, ”, Arizona

NEW YORK (AP) — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani was among seven players who received $20,325,000 qualifying offers from their former teams Monday as the free agent market opened for 168 players. In a sign of the relative weakness of the free agent class, half as many players received qualifying offers as last year. Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and 10 of 124 offers have been accepted. The Braves declined options on outfielder Eddie Rosario ($9 million) and right-handers Collin McHugh ($6 million) and Kirby Yates ($5.75 million). Miami declined options on right-handers Johnny Cueto ($10.5 million) and Matt Barnes ($9 million).

Persons: Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Josh Hader, Blake Snell, Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray, Matt Chapman, Eduardo Rodriguez, Jordan Montgomery, Snell, Gray, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Milwaukee's Colin Rea, Charlie Morton, Eddie Rosario, Collin McHugh, Kirby Yates, Rosario, Yates, Mark Canha’s, Blake Holub, Michael Wacha, Johnny Cueto, Matt Barnes, Cueto, Barnes, Alex Cobb, Brooks Raley, Blake Treinen, Javier Báez, Michael Conforto, Ross Stripling, Josh Bell, Drew Smyly, Báez, Conforto, Bell, Stripling, Adam Ottavino, ___ Organizations: Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, Qualifying, Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, San, Miami, Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tigers, Giants, Cubs, Detroit, Cleveland, Marlins Locations: San Diego, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Toronto, Nola, Atlanta, Detroit, Blake Holub . Milwaukee, San Francisco, Miami

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