The Athletic has live coverage of Shohei Ohtani’s first Dodgers press conference
The Dodgers landed the man they had sought for a decade. Shohei Ohtani, and his many, many, many (yes, many) millions have shattered records with the richest contract in pro sports history.
Yet, the Dodgers’ work might just be beginning.
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There are holes Ohtani cannot fill. He cannot throw a pitch until at least 2025, so his deal Saturday did little to address the very real pitching concerns the franchise has for the year ahead. The Dodgers can still use another right-handed hitter as they sort out their bench. Maybe they will pursue a shortstop upgrade. They still have to clear two 40-man roster spots to make the Ohtani (and Joe Kelly) signings official.
If you’re going to shell out this much, you better keep going.
Ohtani had that in mind as he structured his landmark deal, according to a person familiar with the situation. The 10-year, $700 million pact involves significant, “unprecedented” deferrals that make up the majority of that deal, a league source told The Athletic, in part because he wants to allow the Dodgers the fluidity to continue pushing, both in cash flow and club calculations toward the luxury tax threshold.
Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the other two franchise-altering talents in this frightening lineup, also have deferrals baked into their long-term contracts as they age into their early and mid-30s. Each contract allows the Dodgers to retain the superstars on their roster while continuing to have maneuverability around the different levels of the competitive balance tax. It also helps that Ohtani can help “pay for himself” in advertising revenue.
Somehow, despite pushing their chips all in, the Dodgers still have another hand or two to play.
There is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the 25-year-old Japanese right-hander who rivals reigning Cy Young winner Blake Snell as the top pitcher on the open market and could be the rare pitcher to surpass the $200 million mark. The Dodgers remain in the mix for his services along with a group that includes the Mets, Yankees and Ohtani runners-up such as the Giants and Blue Jays. While Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he had not met with Yamamoto ahead of the pitcher’s arrival in the United States this weekend (unlike Mets owner Steve Cohen, who jumped on a trans-Pacific flight), Dodgers officials feel that Yamamoto growing up a Dodgers fan could boost the club’s odds should they be able to reach such a high number.
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The trade market could be a more logical route should the Dodgers not also be able to add Yamamoto (or if 22-year-old phenom Roki Sasaki’s request to be posted to MLB clubs is denied, as expected). Ohtani’s arrival further clogs already-limited opportunities for major-league-ready Dodgers prospects such as Michael Busch and Miguel Vargas (and others), freeing them up to be used as trade bait for the pitching they need.
Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow has emerged as a prominent Dodgers trade target over the last week, according to multiple people familiar with the situation. Some sources suggested that talks could pick up now that the Dodgers have secured an agreement with Ohtani. The Dodgers are not alone in this pursuit, with the Cubs, Reds, Angels and at least one other club among those to approach the Rays about the 30-year-old right-hander (who is owed $25 million in his final year before free agency). No deal was seen as close as of Saturday night, but the Dodgers and Rays appear to be a logical fit.
Another option, one that would bring security beyond 2024 (when Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler hits the open market), is White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease. The Dodgers and White Sox have been in discussions on a possible Cease deal throughout the offseason and dating back to this past summer’s deadline, with the White Sox appearing willing to move several pieces off the big-league roster. Cease, 27, has two more years of club control and would require a larger return — which becomes easier to facilitate with Ohtani creating more roster redundancies.
Should primary targets Glasnow and Cease come off the board, other trade alternatives include former Cy Young winners Corbin Burnes of the Brewers and Shane Bieber of the Guardians. While the Blue Jays have indicated they have no plans to move their top starters, former All-Star Alek Manoah’s name has come up in inquiries from clubs like the Angels.
There also is the lingering free agency of longtime franchise face Clayton Kershaw, who is expected to return as soon as August from offseason surgery to repair the glenohumeral ligaments and capsule in his left shoulder. The Dodgers have long treated Kershaw as a unique case. His annual decisions are simple: It’s whether or not he wants to keep pitching (he’s indicated he will), and whether or not he wants to be in Los Angeles or back home with Texas. While the defending World Series champions (and Kershaw’s neighbor, Rangers general manager Chris Young) are gearing up for another pursuit, the Dodgers’ need for Kershaw remains as logical as ever with the club in need of multiple starters.
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Lucas Giolito, a Southern California native, is another option and has been linked to the club in free agency.
The Dodgers’ move of Betts to the infield full-time also narrows the club’s need to add another right-handed hitter, likely in the outfield. The club has been linked to free-agent outfielder Teoscar Hernández this winter and has expressed interest in a reunion with Kiké Hernández. There is also buzz around utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa and center fielder Michael A. Taylor, according to people familiar with the situation. Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, who has been the subject of trade rumors this winter, is not believed to be part of ongoing talks between the two clubs.
This much we know: This is the offseason of Ohtani. But it doesn’t stop with him.
GO DEEPER
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(Photo of Tyler Glasnow: Brian Fluharty / USA Today)
