Left-hander Blake Snell is heading to the Los Angeles Dodgers, he announced himself on Tuesday. Multiple reports confirmed the news minutes after the announcement, which came via a Photoshopped jersey swap on Snell’s Instagram.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com first reported that the deal is for five years. Jeff Passan of ESPN was first with the cash value, which is $182 million. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic added that the deal includes some deferred money.
Photo Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Snell, 31, was one of the top arms on the market alongside right-hander Corbin Burnes. Last season with the Giants, he threw a no-hitter and posted the highest SO/9 of his career at 12.55, to go along with a 3.12 ERA.
He joins a loaded Dodgers team that just won the World Series and was led by Shohei Ohtani, who is expected to return to the mound next year. Ohtani owns the most notorious deferred contract in the sport, with $680 million out of his $700 million deferred over the course of a decade. The Dodgers’ projected rotation now includes Snell, Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow (who made 22 starts with a 3.49 ERA but missed the postseason) and Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Feinsand added that the Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles were all serious contenders for Snell before he reached a deal with the Dodgers. Nothing definitive was ever reported about the Mes making a run for him.
Snell spent the first five years of his career with the Rays and the next three with the Padres. He only spent one with the Giants and made just 20 starts, missing most of June with a left groin injury. He struggled badly before the injury, with a 9.51 ERA, but dominated to the tune of a 1.23 ERA the rest of the way.
Snell is often criticized for struggling with walks and short outings. But his BB/9 was the best of his career last season at a sparkling 2.54. And he still averaged over five innings a start.
He’s won the Cy Young Award in both leagues — the American League in 2018 and the National League in 2023. His career ERA is 3.19 across more than 1,000 MLB innings.
The Mets have previously been reported to have interest on Burnes, whom the attention will shift to on the starting pitching market with Snell off the board.
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