You saw it, we saw it, and probably even the Yankees saw the Dodgers’ $325 million star doing things on the mound that haven’t been seen in nearly as long. Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a complete game for the second straight start, tossing nine innings of one-run ball on just 105 pitches, as the Dodgers evened the World Series with a 5-1 win over the Blue Jays. It paid off—Dodgers’ ties to Japan and their willingness to bid higher than their competitors for an unproven starting pitcher. While the Dodgers are being lauded for landing Yamamoto, the Yankees are now facing heavy backlash for their weak reasoning in passing on the Japanese phenom.

There was a time when the Yankees’ front office was known for opening the wallet without hesitation. That era is behind us. In recent years, all we’ve seen is frugality under Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman. The club apparently offered Yoshinobu Yamamoto $300 million in 2033. They came up short of the $325 million deal Yoshi landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

What’s even more intriguing is the fact that the Yankees were also creative with their offer. They would’ve reportedly given Yamamoto a higher average annual salary than what he signed for with the Dodgers.

But then again, if he was always set on joining fellow Japanese star Shohei Ohtani with the Dodgers, there wasn’t much the Yankees could have done to change his mind.

That being said, what ended up stopping them from giving him the $325 million he wanted was pretty ridiculous. The Yankees didn’t want to pay Yamamoto more than Gerrit Cole, who signed for $324 million over nine years, since Cole is their ace.

Cashman and the front office worried about how Cole would feel being the second-highest-paid starter. If you think about it, that doesn’t even count as a real issue. Even if it made sense to them then, that’s a subject that could’ve been figured out later.

Okay, let’s say hypothetically Cole had been bothered by Yamamoto’s deal. He likely would’ve moved past it if the Yankees had been in a stronger position to compete for a World Series in 2024 and 2025. Last season, with Cole sidelined by injury, the need for a pitcher of Yamamoto’s caliber was even more obvious. This is the kind of mistake the Yankees can’t undo. And of course, MLB fans aren’t letting this one go easily.

Fans are firing back at the Yankees for missing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Fans pointed out that the Yankees’ refusal to meet the Dodgers’ $325 million bid for pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto has more to do with their self-imposed $300 million cap. “I don’t think Cole would’ve given a flying fuck if Yamamoto signed a bigger contract than his,” a fan noted. It makes little to no sense to fans that something like this would’ve bothered Gerrit Cole.

Yamamoto may have been untested at the major-league level when he signed a long-term deal with the Dodgers. However, scouts in Japan and plenty of others saw his potential early on. On Saturday night in Game 2 of the World Series, all of that potential became reality. The ripple effects of Yoshi’s efforts somehow triggered the Yankees’ nation. “Hal’s gonna Hal. Terrible owner. The only way things ever change is if he sells the team or people stop showing up,” another fan noted.

And once again, the Yankees’ reluctance made fans feel they’re still far away from winning a World Series anytime soon. “This is the Yankees. This is Hal. We aren’t winning a WS anytime soon.” The 27-year-old’s arm in the Yankees’ lineup would’ve definitely increased their chances of stacking more wins than losses this season. And well, Yamamoto’s postseason version is another story.

He threw a complete game against the Blue Jays, allowing just four hits and one run. Further, he retired the final 20 batters he faced. On a staff that includes Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and even two-way star Shohei Ohtani at times, it’s hard to argue anyone is pitching better than Yamamoto right now.

“Idiots care too much about not paying one player more than another player like be deada*s, do you think Cole cared if he got more? “I’m sure he cares to win and he’s still getting millions at the end of the day,” another fan frustratingly noted. Well, Gerrit Cole is known to be a team-first guy. But when the Yankees were eyeing Yamamoto, Cole had seven seasons of major-league experience under his belt and Yoshi had none. But then again, he was just as dominant in Japan. If the Yankees had really pushed to bring him in, things might look very different today.

That said, there’s no guarantee Yamamoto would’ve chosen New York over Los Angeles. “TBH if they both offered $325 he would have still chosen LA…” another fan quipped. It makes sense considering the Dodgers’ ties with Japan and Yoshi’s ties with Shohei Ohtani. What do you think?