"It definitely did a little something" Tyler Glasnow admits Shohei Ohtani's influence on his $136,562,500 Dodgers deal

When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million contract, the size of the contract was the focus. While the Dodgers had landed a generational talent, that amount of money was a surprise, especially with Ohtani not being able to pitch in 2024.

However, Ohtani has brought more than just his formidable baseball skills to LA and has been a huge draw for the team in terms of recruitment. Since Ohtani signed for the Dodgers, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have also joined, with Ohtani having had a hand in their recruitment.

Speaking to Chris Rose Sports, Glasnow discussed how Shohei Ohtani reached out to him:

"Yeah, he sent me a video before the trade, like closer the trade and said, 'I want you to join the team, I hope to join you in the pitching staff next year' and then that he wants to hit home runs for me and the team.

"I was like, 'Wow! That's pretty cool!'"

Glasnow said that while this wasn't a deal closer, it was a nice extra. Ohtani signing for the Dodgers upped Glasnow's desire to join the team and his reaching out to him:

"Definitely did a little something."

The Dodgers traded for Glasnow and Manuel Margot via the Tampa Bay Rays, in exchange for Ryan Pepiot and Jonny Deluca. As part of the agreement, Glasnow signed a five-year extension with the Dodgers, which was for $136.5 million.

Shohei Ohtani a huge factor in Dodgers signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tyler Glasnow was not the only star that Shohei Ohtani helped the Dodgers land this winter. Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto was pursued by several high-profile teams, such as the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and others.

Yamamoto signed a $325 million deal with the Dodgers, which is the biggest pitching contract in MLB history. However, money was not the only factor that guided Yamamoto to LA.

According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Ohtani was a huge factor:

"I was told simply by a source who knows the Japanese baseball scene very well. ... Yamamoto simply wanted to be a Dodger and play with Ohtani, in no particular order."

The Dodgers are continuing to build upon their roster for 2024 with the intention of winning the World Series. In that effort, they recently added Teoscar Hernández on a $23.5 million deal.