MLB Rumors: Dodgers cooking up next move to support Shohei Ohtani

Now that the Shohei Ohtani saga is officially over after he announced his decision to join the Los Angeles Dodgers for 10 years and $700 million on the weekend, plenty of moves remain for the reigning NL West champs if they intend to repeat their division crown in 2024.

Despite inking the best baseball player ever to put on a pair of cleats, one caveat for the Dodgers is that Ohtani won't be able to toe the rubber in 2024, restricted to hitting when he returns from Tommy John surgery. To help fill that void and make the Dodgers contenders, the front office has their work cut out for them.

Before we had all wrapped our heads around Ohtani's bombshell record contract on Saturday, reports were already surfacing that the Dodgers could still be in the running to sign another Japanese phenom, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. But that would take another massive deal. While the Dodgers' seemingly bottomless pockets could certainly pull off another shocking deal, the more realistic approach would be to trade for a starting pitcher to bolster the rotation.

One name being floated is Tampa Bay Rays starter Tyler Glasnow. Per Bruce Levine, baseball analyst for WSCR-AM and 670 The Score in Chicago, the Dodgers are in talks with the Rays about acquiring the right-hander.

What could Tyler Glasnow do for the Dodgers?

Glasnow is a tantalizing talent but has had problems staying healthy for his entire career — he just pitched a career-high 120 innings this past season. When he's healthy, he's one of the scariest dudes to toe the rubber.

The 30-year-old went 10-7 with the Rays in 2023 with a 3.53 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. He ran a 33.4 percent strikeout rate, which would be the second-highest among starters, behind Atlanta's Spencer Strider, if he had qualified with enough innings.

His career 31.3 percent strikeout rate as a starter ranks fourth among starting pitchers with over 450 innings since 2016, when he broke into the league with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He trails only Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, and Jacob deGrom. That's some elite company.

Glasnow is under contract for one more season at a reasonable $15.2 million — well, reasonable as long as he stays on the field.

The Dodgers have one of the top farm systems with plenty of young assets to dangle as trade bait. Their No. 5 prospect, Gavin Stone, made his debut this season, and despite a rough start (9.00 ERA, 1.90 WHIP) to his Major League career, is still highly touted. Right-hander Ryan Pepiot debuted in 2022 and has an impressive 2.76 ERA and 0.76 WHIP in 17 games (10 starts) in his young career.

Right-handed pitching prospects Landon Knack (No. 8) and Kyle Hurt (No. 12) could also be used in trade talks, according to Levine.

Among position players, the most likely to move this winter are infielders Miguel Vargas, who struggled at the plate in 2023, and No. 2 prospect Michael Busch. Infielder Gavin Lux, who was sidelined all of 2023 with a knee injury, may also draw interest from the Rays, even though he's on track to be the Dodgers' starting shortstop next season.

Levine notes that Chicago White Sox starter Dylan Cease is also available, and any of these players would be good additions to a package that could bring the 2022 Cy Young runner-up to Chavez Ravine.

Whatever moves the Dodgers make for the remainder of the offseason, you can be sure they'll be done with one singular focus for 2024: giving Ohtani what he signed on for, a trip to the World Series and his first championship ring.