Shohei Ohtani already helped recruit one star player to Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani deferred a great deal of salary to help the Los Angeles Dodgers afford for more high-end talent. Less than a week after deciding to sign with the team, he is already backing that ambition by helping recruit big names to the team.

Ohtani sent a video to Tyler Glasnow while the Dodgers were working to acquire the pitcher from the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Fabian Ardaya and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

In the video, Ohtani said he regretted that he would not be able to pitch in the same rotation with Glasnow as he recovers from elbow surgery, but told Glasnow that “I want to hit some home runs for you.”

The Dodgers and Rays were already working on the deal when Ohtani made his sales pitch. The trade was contingent upon Glasnow signing a long-term contract extension with the Dodgers, which is why Ohtani became involved.

The trade did get done on Thursday, so whether Ohtani’s intervention was necessary or not, it worked.

The Dodgers are among the front-runners for another Japanese star, too, so one has to imagine that Ohtani’s recruiting efforts are nowhere near finished for the offseason.