Zolak & Bertrand React to Shohei Ohtani’s Historic Contract Setup

On Tuesday's edition of Zolak & Bertrand, the show reacts to Shohei Ohtani's historic contract setup, as the Japanese pitcher is set to defer $68 of $70 million dollars per year for the next 10 seasons.

Bertrand: Shohei Ohtani is signing with the Dodgers for $700 Million, which we talked about in passing a little bit yesterday. Then we found out yesterday afternoon he's going to defer $68 of the $70 million each year of the contract. He is going to have a base salary of $2 million per year during his contract with the Dodgers. Does that not sound like the most insane thing you've ever heard?

Zolak: I'm like holy crap while reading it. You know, when this first broke yesterday we knew he was going to the Dodgers. But the fact that you could defer that type of money and want to do it to help bring other players in, it's really like the true unicorn. Good for the Dodgers, like bravo. If you think, okay we're going to risk it all because we're going out to get the modern day Babe Ruth.

We don't know how the arm is going to hold up. We know he can hit. Still don't know if he's going to be the same type of pitcher. But you're rolling the dice because of the monetary value that you're going to get on the return of this guy. We sit here and we look at the Bobby Bonilla thing, like it's," Hey it's Bobby Bonilla day." It's going to be Shohei Ohtani Day, which is great.

Bertrand: Yeah.

But still, I mean, it gives you the ability to go on the strike because you feel our time is now. You know, we're going to get the unicorn and we're loading up now and you're going to have to pay the receipts at some point. That all comes due as you do with credit cards and you got interest rates and all that. But good for the Dodgers. They found it, and good for Ohtani if, in fact, this is true that it's being reported that he sort of spearheaded this and this was his idea. It's fantastic. Not many teams will do it because of the money. It's a lot of money to defer. That's a big risk.

Bertrand: This is a deferment at the time of contract. Bobby Bonilla was a restructure, right?

Zolak: Yeah.

Bertrand: Right at the end?

Zolak: Yeah.

Bertrand: I mean, deferments and contracts when they're signed is not unusual. Manny Ramirez has deferred money with the Red Sox.

Milliken: Devers has 75 on his deal.

Bertrand: 75 million on a deal that was signed a year ago for Devers. Chris Sale has deferred money with the Red Sox right now. You look at a lot of the big picture signings over the last several years. The last decade, pitchers have had deferred money. No one has gone to this extreme, though. No one has exploited it to this degree, which is what is happening with this contract and, not only is it legal, it's allowed.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has made it known — and made it known again and again, for that matter — that pitching is the focus for the club in his first offseason on the job.

So it's no surprise that Boston prioritized pitching in their return on the Alex Verdugo trade, and that Wednesday's transaction-heavy day saw a pitcher brought to the club by way of trade with the Mets. Or why the Red Sox have been linked to the free agent market's top options on the starter front between Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto and 2023 World Series champion Jordan Montgomery.

But Breslow's net has included some 'secondary' options, so to speak, with another three pitchers linked to Boston by the game's top insiders as the MLB 'hot stove' begins to truly (and finally) heat up.

One name of considerable interest to the club seems to be Seth Lugo.

A 34-year-old righty, Lugo is coming off a 2023 season that featured an 8-7 record, along with 140 strikeouts and a 3.57 ERA, in a career-high 26 starts for the San Diego Padres. Beyond the numbers, Lugo's arsenal is of interest to any team, especially with the success he had with his sinker and sweeper in 2023.

Lugo was first linked to the Red Sox by Jon Heyman earlier this week, with Heyman noting that the Red Sox were 'stepping up their efforts' with Lugo, while MassLive's Chris Cotillo later reported that a source told him that the expectation was that the Red Sox would offer Lugo a contract.

Given his age and relative inexperience as a starter (Lugo left the Mets for the Padres with the intentions of moving from the bullpen to the rotation), a long-term contract is likely off the table for Lugo, which may very well be right in Boston's wheelhouse even if they were to add a projected high-end starter like a Yamamoto.

MLB Trade Rumors, for what it's worth, had Lugo projected to earn a three-year, $42 million contract on the open market this offseason.

In addition to the Red Sox, Lugo has drawn significant interest from the Atlanta Braves, as well as the reigning National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks. Both teams may have a leg up on the Red Sox if Lugo's aim is to win a championship, which could put Boston in a potentially uncomfortable bidding war of sorts.

Especially with Lugo likely best utilized as a mid to end of rotation type, either as a No. 3 or No. 4 starter.

Righty Lucas Giolito is another name that's been linked to the Red Sox in recent days, with the strongest link coming courtesy of national MLB insider Jon Morosi.

A veteran of eight MLB seasons, Giolito went on a personal tour of the American League in 2023, with stops in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Cleveland. On the mound for a league-leading 33 starts, Giolito posted an 8-15 record, and surrendered what was a league-high 41 home runs in 184.1 innings.

The 6-foot-6 Giolito is a straight shooter who relies heavily on his fastball (he threw his four-seam fastball 42 percent of the time in 2023), and turns 30 next summer. He may very well be one of the most unpredictable options available to a club this offseason, all things considered.

But there's always been considerable promise with the 2012 first-round pick, and beyond his 'top prospect' status from back in the day.

With the White Sox from 2017 to 2023, Giolito had a terrific three-season run from 2019 through 2021 that saw him post two top-seven Cy Young finishes, and earn an All-Star nomination in 2019. Giolito's best season over that stretch came with a 14-win 2019 campaign, which also saw him fan a career-high 228 batters.

Overall, the California-born righty has compiled a 61-62 record, with a 4.43 ERA and 1,077 strikeouts in 1,013.2 innings since 2016.

The Dodgers, Mets, Royals, and Diamondbacks are also said to be in on Giolito, according to Morosi.

Another name linked to Boston's hunt for pitching help came this past weekend, with the Red Sox listed among those 'very interested' in starter Domingo German, according to Mike Rodriguez.

A Yankee since 2017, the 31-year-old German posted a 5-7 record, along with a 4.56 ERA and 114 strikeouts, in 20 games (19 starts) with the Bombers in 2023. German did post career-highs in WHIP (1.08) and BAA (.207) over his 108.2-inning sample, and he even threw a perfect game, but it wasn't enough for the Yankees to have any sort of interest in retaining his services beyond this past season.

Beyond his on-field consistency issues, German also had some significant off-field issues, including a move to the restricted list in Aug. 2023 after he entered an inpatient treatment facility for issues with alcohol abuse.

German was also suspended 81 games by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in 2020 for violating Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy after he physically assaulted his wife at a charity event hosted by Yankees teammate CC Sabathia. According to reports, German slapped his wife while drunk, and was 'violent' until his wife ultimately hid in a locked room.

German, who has also drawn interest from the Blue Jays and Astros as well as the Red Sox, has a 31-28 record and 4.41 career ERA in 112 games with New York since the 2017 season.