Los Angeles Dodgers secure groundbreaking agreement with Japanese pitching prodigy Yoshinobu Yamamoto, sources say

The Los Angeles Dodgers' offseason continues to improve with the news of their agreement with Japanese pitching sensation, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, on a 12-year, $325 million deal, as reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan, citing unnamed sources.

The Dodgers will pay an additional posting fee of $50.6 million for Yamamoto's deal, making it the largest for a pitcher in MLB history. This surpasses New York Yankee pitcher Gerrit Cole's contract by $1 million. The 25-year-old made the switch to Major League Baseball (MLB) this offseason after being posted as a free agent by Japan's Orix Buffaloes in November.

Yamamoto made a strong impression in the early years of his career, earning the Eiji Sawamura Award - presented to the top starting pitcher in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) - three times.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto will join his compatriot Shohei Ohtani at the Dodgers.

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In the last season, he had an impressive record of 16-6 with a 1.21 ERA and achieved his third consecutive Triple Crown in the NPB's Pacific League, leading in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. Known for his powerful mid-to-high 90s fastball, the right-hander has also excelled on the international stage, contributing to his country's gold medal win at the Tokyo Olympics and securing victory at the World Baseball Classic in March.

Yamamoto has joined superstar Shohei Ohtani, who recently signed a historic 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers. This means that the Dodgers have now spent over $1 billion in free agency this offseason.

CNN has reached out to the Dodgers and Yamamotos agent but did not immediately hear back.

CNNs Ben Church contributed reporting.