The Los Angeles Dodgers are investing heavily once more to add one of baseball’s top pitchers to their roster of elite players, little than a month after winning the World Series.
A person with firsthand knowledge of the negotiations said that Blake Snell and the Dodgers reached an agreement on a five-year, $182 million contract. Because the arrangement is contingent on a successful physical, the individual spoke to The Associated Press Tuesday night under the condition of anonymity.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner personally broke the news by sharing a picture of himself wearing a No. 7 Dodgers uniform on social media.
Snell would join fellow Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto and two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani at the top of the Los Angeles rotation. This would be the Dodgers’ first big offseason contract after Yamamoto signed a $325 million, 12-year deal last winter and Ohtani signed a $700 million, 10-year pact.
Ohtani is anticipated to return to the mound in 2025 after missing this season due to recuperation following surgery on his right elbow. After an incredible season at the plate entirely as a designated hitter, he won his third MVP award, the first in the National League.
FILE – San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell works against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
Image: Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
Yamamoto won twice in four October appearances after going 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts as a rookie.
Los Angeles overcame a run of injuries to their expected rotation to win the team’s second World Series title in five years, despite having only three healthy starting pitchers during the postseason.
This fall, right-handers Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty became free agents, adding to the staff’s gaps. Snell’s arrival, however, would provide a genuine ace to fill a big one at the top.
After Ohtani ($70 million), Philadelphia pitcher Zack Wheeler ($42 million), New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge ($40 million), and Texas pitcher Jacob deGrom ($37 million), Snell’s average compensation of $36.4 million would be the fifth-highest among active contracts for the upcoming season. Pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, who both signed contracts worth $43.33 million with the New York Mets, also exceeded it among expiring contracts.
The specifics of Snell’s contract were first revealed by ESPN.
After being hindered by injuries in his one season with the Giants, Snell decided earlier this month to opt out of his contract with San Francisco and become a free agent for the second straight offseason.
In March, the left-hander agreed to a two-year, $62 million contract that paid $15 million in 2024 and $30 million in 2025, of which $15 million would have been deferred and due on July 1, 2027, as well as a $17 million signing bonus that would be due on January 15, 2026.
Snell, who turns 32 next Friday, has made 20 starts this season and is 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA. On August 2, he threw a no-hitter at Cincinnati, one of just 16 big league shutouts this season. In 104 innings, he walked 44 and struck out 145.
A strained left adductor kept him out of action from April 19 to May 22, and a strained left groin kept him out of action from June 2 to July 9.
In 2018 with Tampa Bay and 2023 with San Diego, Snell took home Cy Young Awards.In nine seasons with the Rays (2016–20), Padres (2021–23), and Giants, he is 76–58 with a 3.19 ERA.
The Giants were unable to extend another qualifying offer to Snell and will not be compensated with a draft pick because he declined one from San Diego last November.
Next season, Los Angeles anticipates having three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw and All-Star right-hander Tyler Glasnow back in the lineup. If healthy, right-handers Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, and Bobby Miller are other potential starters.
Ohtani had surgery on his left shoulder on November 5 and his right elbow in September 2023.
Due to tendonitis in his right elbow, Glasnow did not pitch after August 11.
On November 7, Kershaw, who will turn 37 in March, underwent knee and foot surgery. He is anticipated to return to Los Angeles, but he turned down a $10 million player option in favor of free agency.
May is recovering from Tommy John’s July 2023 surgery and from an esophageal tear repair procedure this past July.
In 2024, Gonsolin recuperated from Tommy John surgery.
Early this season, Miller, who won 11 games as a rookie in 2023, missed time due to shoulder soreness. He finished the regular season in the minor leagues after struggling to a 2-4 record with an 8.52 ERA in 13 big league outings.
After missing time due to tightness in his right triceps from June 15 to September 10, Yamamoto returned and finished the first season of his $325 million contract by going 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in four postseason appearances.
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This report was written by AP Baseball Writers Mike Fitzpatrick and Janie McCauley.
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