The Dodgers aren’t done boosting their team, even after inking Shohei Ohtani to a record contract.
The two-way superstar is helping Los Angeles in that pursuit as well by deferring 97 percent of his salary in another unheard-of move on top of the record-setting deal he signed.
Now, the Dodgers are going after pitching, according to Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci, looking into adding Josh Hader and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Yamamoto has become one of the biggest free agents left on the market with Ohtani now signed to a new deal.
Suitors have been lining up for the Japanese star, which includes both New York clubs and the Dodgers.
A report from Bally Sports MLB Insider Russell Dorsey said that the Dodgers were “aggressively pursuing” Yamamoto and that they were expected to meet later this week.
The Post’s Jon Heyman had also reported over the weekend that the Dodgers remained interested in the starter even after signing Ohtani.
Adding Hader would help shore up a hole that the Dodgers had last season as they look to go all in on their quest to capture their second World Series title since 1988.
The lefty has become one of the best relievers in baseball with five All-Star selections.
The former Padre is coming off a strong 2023 in which he went 2-3 while recording a 1.28 ERA, 33 saves and 85 strikeouts in 56.1 innings on the mound.
It was a bounce-back campaign after struggling in 2022 when he split time between the Brewers and Padres after being traded by Milwaukee during the season.
In his first five seasons with the Brewers, he pitched 282.1 innings while putting up a 2.26 ERA and striking out 482 batters.
The Dodgers have already been consistent favorites to compete for a World Series ring and adding Ohtani has only added to that.
However, deferring nearly all of his salary until after his contract is complete has given Los Angeles an unprecedented opportunity.
It’s given the Dodgers an extra $23.94 million to spend in pursuit of a title
“Nobody should be surprised,” Ohtani’s agent Nez Balelo told SI about the decision. “Everything he does is unique and impeccably well thought out. Who in their right mind gets to this level and decides he wants to help the team and the city compete above all else and basically says, ‘I don’t need it.’ Nobody does that. But there is nobody like him. This is the epitome of thinking about others, of pure intentions.
“This is who he is, who he always has been. He is coming in not as someone above all others, but as a complementary player to help the team win.”