While Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were headliners in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ free agency spending spree, the team also made a significant commitment to Tyler Glasnow after acquiring him as part of a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Neither of the three newcomers have made their respective Dodgers Spring Training debuts, but they are on the horizon. Glasnow is the furthest ahead among the group, as he’s scheduled to start Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels.
Glasnow recently faced hitters in live batting practice as part of a workout at Camelback Ranch.
“Everything was good. He looked really good overall,” Will Smith said of the session. “Locating his fastball, it just seemed like he had really good feel and command for all his pitches.”
Part of the Dodgers moving forward with their trade to acquire Glasnow and Manuel Margot was signing the Southern California native to a contract extension. Glasnow wound up agreeing to a five-year, $136.5 million deal, and the Dodgers remain in the learning stages with their new ace.
“It’s a lot better having him in a Dodger uniform and that’s something that each hitter that’s been in the box against him will say,” manager Dave Roberts said.
“Tyler is a gentle giant, but when he gets on the mound he’s a tenacious competitor. The ball really comes out. I think in his ‘pens, he was sitting 97 (mph). It’s life to the fastball, a really good breaking ball. He’s a very curious player, which I like.
“There’s always room for us to get better, and he has embraced that. Guys gravitate towards him. For me, I don’t think it affects him as far as certain guys might get a little bit more attention. I think he wants to be great and help us win a championship.”
Dodgers starting Tyler Glasnow in South Korea
While Roberts allowed for the possibility of some changes in the weeks ahead, he indicated Glasnow and Yamamoto are going to start the Seoul Series in no particular order.
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