The New York Yankees had a chance to change the course of their franchise during the 2024 offseason. They had the money, the need, and the reputation to land one of the best pitching prospects to ever come out of Japan. But when it came time to make a final offer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they blinked — and the Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t.

The Yankees came in with a $300 million offer, while the Dodgers topped them with a 12-year, $325 million deal. Yamamoto took the extra $25 million, and the rest is quickly becoming baseball history. He’s not just living up to expectations in Los Angeles — he’s redefining them.

While New York’s rotation has struggled to stay healthy and effective, Yamamoto has been putting together a dominant campaign and is only getting better.

Yamamoto’s brilliance on full display in the postseason

At only 27 years old, Yamamoto has already become the ace every team dreams about. During the 2025 regular season, he delivered a 2.49 ERA over 173.2 innings, showing elite command and efficiency. His ability to keep runners stranded with a 78.5% left-on-base rate and induce weak contact with a 52.8% ground-ball rate makes him one of the toughest pitchers in the game to square up against.

But it’s his performance this postseason that has truly cemented his reputation.

So far in the 2025 playoffs, Yamamoto owns a 1.57 ERA across 28.2 innings, and his latest masterpiece came on baseball’s biggest stage — a complete game win against the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. He allowed just one earned run, struck out eight, and threw 105 pitches of pure command and confidence. Watching him work, it’s hard not to imagine what could have been if the Yankees had gone the extra mile.

The Yankees’ rotation in shambles

Instead, New York’s pitching staff has been shredded with injuries. The postseason collapse against Toronto was the latest reminder that their rotation lacks both depth and reliability. Injuries, inconsistency, and missed opportunities have defined the group since Gerrit Cole’s elbow injury set them back. Without him at full strength, the Yankees have been forced to rely on others to carry the load — and it hasn’t been enough.

Clarke Schmidt’s Tommy John surgery further complicates things, leaving another hole in the rotation for most of 2026. Cam Schlittler has shown flashes of elite upside, but he’s still developing, and the Yankees are hoping Will Warren can take another step forward. It’s a rotation filled with hopes rather than anchors, which only makes Yamamoto’s dominance in Los Angeles sting even more.

A decision that could haunt the Yankees for years

The Yankees knew they needed a top-flight starter to pair with Cole, and they ended up investing in Max Fried a year later, who’s about four years older than Yamamoto. They just weren’t willing to push far enough to close the deal. Now, as the Dodgers ride Yamamoto’s brilliance toward another championship, New York is watching from home — searching once again for answers.

If the Yankees are serious about returning to contention, they’ll need to be bolder the next time a player like Yamamoto comes along. Because while $25 million might not have seemed like much in the moment, it’s starting to look like the price of missing a bona fide ace.