Yoshinobu Yamamoto dines with top Japanese player Munetaka Murakami as Dodgers fears grow

The Dodgers may be at it again.

Fresh off a second straight World Series and two straight offseasons in which they signed Japan’s biggest free agent, star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto had dinner with Japan’s top free agent Munetaka Murakami, as captured in a photo by Kenshiro Saito.

Now of course this dinner could be nothing more than just two friends catching up.

However, the Dodgers have become the Yankees of the 1990s and early 2000s in free agency, bringing in one top player after another regardless of the shocking cost.

And they particularly excel on the international market.

The Dodgers signed Yamamoto to a pitcher-record $325 million contract before the 2024 season and also signed two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani to a then-North American record $700 million contract — with $680 million deferred — that Juan Soto later led the Mets.

These two have been instrumental in the Dodgers winning the last two championships, leading the Yankees in five games in 2024 and beating the Blue Jays in a seven-game classic this season.

Last season, Los Angeles struck again by acquiring young fireballer Roki Sasaki.

While Yamamoto and Ohtani signed normal free-agent deals, Sasaki signed an international free-agency deal that included a $6.5 million signing bonus.

He struggled in the regular season, posting a 4.46 ERA while missing time due to injury, but then became a dominant reliever in the postseason, with a 0.84 ERA and three saves.

It’s possible the Dodgers will pursue Murakami after posting earlier this month.

The 25-year-old third baseman hit 246 home runs in his eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, including a career-high 56 shots in 2022.

The Post’s Jon Heyman ranked him ninth among this year’s free agents and predicted a six-year contract worth $150 million.

The Dodgers have third baseman Max Muncy under contract for $10 million for next season, though they can always use Murakami – or Muncy – as a design hitter.

That Los Angeles has players like Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki and former MVPs in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman and is still able to spend lavishly is a testament to the team’s ownership and the way the franchise has structured contracts to pay for these expensive items.

Some have wondered if the Dodgers will follow top free agent Kyle Tucker due to the lack of outfield production in the postseason.

It seems that the rich will somehow get richer.