LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers signed left-handed pitcher Blake Snell to a five-year deal worth $182 million, according to multiple reports.
Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, announced on Tuesday night by sharing a photo of himself wearing a Dodger jersey, confirming his new deal on Instagram.
Los Angeles is enhancing their pitching staff by signing Snell as they aim to repeat in 2025.
In 2024, he signed a two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants that included an opt-out option. He aimed to refine his career while seeking his next major deal after spending one year in San Francisco. Reports indicate that Snell's contract includes a signing bonus of $52 million, along with some deferred payments. There are no op-outs and there isn't a no-trade clause, but there is a bonus attached if traded by the Dodgers.
In his final 12 games with the Giants, he had a 1.45 ERA after struggling through the early part of the season carrying a 6.31 ERA. The Giants looked at possibly trading Snell during the trade deadline but declined to make a move. Former Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi left for the Giants in 2018, becoming the President of Baseball Operations and was relieved from his position at the end of the 2024 season.
Snell started 20 games for the Giants in 2024 and was 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA. Before joining the Giants, Snell spent three seasons with the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers' pitching rotation becomes even more intriguing with the addition of Blake Snell to a staff that struggled with injuries for much of the 2024 season. Despite these challenges, the team somehow managed to win the 2024 World Series. Last offseason, the Dodgers signed Tyler Glasnow, who was a teammate of Snell's in Tampa Bay when they faced the Dodgers in the 2020 World Series.
Snell just pitched a no-hitter three months ago. Last year he won his second Cy Young, was named All-MLB First Team and was the ERA leader for the second time in five years. Dodgers fans will never forget he was pulled in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series while pitching a shutout with two hits and nine strikeouts. The Dodgers would go on to win the game and their first World Series since 1988 after he was taken out of the game.
The Dodgers also invested in the largest contract with a pitcher last offseason by signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a deal worth $325 million. The moves paid off by winning the World Series, but the Dodgers have yet to see the return on their most valuable signing last offseason, the 2024 MVP Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani did not pitch in his first season with the Dodgers due to Tommy John surgery, which he underwent after his final season with the Angels. The Dodgers expect Ohtani to return to the mound in 2025. Clayton Kershaw is likely to rejoin the Dodgers on a team-friendly contract, while Tony Gonsolin will also be back, along with Dustin May and an improved Bobby Miller.
Walker Buehler remains a free agent as no signs indicating a potential deal with the Dodgers.
