If one thing is clear about Shohei Ohtani's first week as a Dodger, it's that he doesn't want his new organization to finish with him.
“It was important to Shohei that this wasn't the only move we were going to make,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Thursday as the club introduced its new star.
It turns out Ohtani had already been planning the Dodgers' next move, as sources told The Athletic that the two-way superstar sent Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow a video trying to get him to lure people to Los Angeles.
In the video, Ohtani expressed that he wished he could share a rotation with Glasnow this season. Ohtani will not play for the Dodgers in 2024 as he recovers from elbow surgery. “But,” said the superstar, “I want to hit some home runs for you.”
The Dodgers have been in serious trade discussions with the Rays for nearly a week. A source said the framework for a potential trade was put together last week after Dodgers and Rays staffs met at a soirée in country star Brad Paisley's Nashville. Tenn. Ranch. Ultimately, Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot would come to Los Angeles in exchange for pitcher Ryan Pepiot and outfielder Jonny DeLuca. And as hundreds of chairs were emptied at Ohtani's opening press conference on Thursday, news of the trade spread.
The deal, which had not been finalized as of Friday afternoon, was contingent on Glasnow signing a long-term contract extension. According to sources, the contract will pay Glasnow (who is owed $25 million this season) an additional $110 million over the next four years, according to The Athletic. The deal also includes an option for 2028: The Dodgers can pick up a $30 million club option, and Glasnow can pick up a $20 million player option for the year if the Dodgers decline it.
For Ohtani, who spoke openly about his desire for championships and desire to build the club around him, it was his first successful pitch as a Dodger.
Ohtani, of course, has already been busy on that front, leading the Dodgers' star-studded tour of Dodger Stadium on Tuesday when the club hosted Japanese free-agent right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, according to sources. The club's pitching staff remains an area of need even after signing the 30-year-old Glasnow, and the Dodgers' pursuit of Yamamoto continues in part because of the way Ohtani structured his contract. The series of massive shifts, Ohtani explained Thursday, was due in large part to the fact that “this will help the Dodgers sign better players and build a better team,” he said.
“I felt like it was worth it.”
It's a series of desires that the Dodgers tried to fulfill, with Ohtani himself putting his finger on the pulse by securing his entitlement through a rare “key man” clause in his contract with the club's front office and ownership group asserted.
“(We) made our promise,” Friedman said, referring to the team’s goal of continuing to add.
For his part, Ohtani has added a third dimension to his game to make this possible: the recruiting coordinator. It's already helped the Dodgers.
(Tyler Glasnow got Shohei Ohtani's first pitch as a Dodgers: Michael Dwyer / Associated Press)