Signing of Blake Snell is Dodgers' latest financial flex. 'This is where you want to play.'

Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times on Dec 3, 2024

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

LOS ANGELES — In the right-field Stadium Club at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, where dozens of media members gathered for yet another introductory news conference welcoming a star player to the organization, the Dodgers flexed their financial muscles with businesslike handshakes and celebratory smiles.

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes sat beside their latest blockbuster acquisition, two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Blake Snell, and his powerhouse agent, Scott Boras.

They watched the 31-year-old left-hander, signed last week to a five-year, $182 million contract, slip into a white Dodgers jersey amid the flicker of cameras.

And, barely a month after winning the franchise's second World Series in the last five seasons (and first since 1988 that came in a full season and with a championship parade), they put the rest of the baseball world back on notice.

Their pockets remain deep. Their ambitions remain vast. And with the chance to cement a dynasty now thrust upon them, their willingness to spend doesn't appear to be waning.

In Snell, the Dodgers took their biggest weakness from this October's World Series run — a lack of reliable starting pitching — and added an instant potential fix, inking a veteran southpaw who, for long stretches of his nine-year career, has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the majors.

"As we were getting together and talking about ways we could put ourselves in the best position to win a World Series in 2025," Friedman said, "all conversations kept coming back to Blake."

A first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011 (back when Friedman was still running the Rays' front office), Snell burst onto the scene in his third MLB season in 2018, when he won his first Cy Young Award with an AL-leading 21 wins and 1.89 ERA.

He played a key role in the Rays' run to the 2020 World Series too, following up a 4-2 record and 3.24 ERA in the pandemic-shortened regular season with a 3.03 ERA over six postseason starts — the last of which came in Game 6 of that year's Fall Classic, when Snell was infamously removed early by Rays manager Kevin Cash in the Dodgers' come-from-behind, title-clinching win.

The knocks against Snell over the years have revolved around his durability and consistency.

The Seattle native had ERAs above 4.00 in 2019 (when he missed time to have loose bodies removed from his elbow) and 2021 (after being traded to the San Diego Padres).

He missed more time in 2022 because of an adductor injury, before returning to form late in the year to help the Padres get past the Dodgers in the National League Division Series (he was the victorious pitcher in a pivotal Game 3 of that series).

And even though he claimed the Cy Young again in 2023, going 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA to become just the seventh pitcher in history to win the award in both leagues, his market as a free agent last winter never developed as he hoped, forcing him to settle for a two-year, $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants shortly before opening day.

The Dodgers made a late play for Snell in the spring but failed to top their division rival's bid.

Now, however, he has arrived in Los Angeles looking like a missing piece in the Dodgers' repeat plans, helping nullify the one significant limitation the team faced as it rode a patchwork pitching staff to a World Series.

Despite a bumpy start to 2024 that was affected by his late signing and abnormal preseason, Snell reaffirmed his status as a front-line ace with a blistering finish to the year, going 5-0 with an MLB-best 1.23 ERA after returning from a groin strain in early July.

And though he has still surpassed 130 innings only twice in his career (he eclipsed 180 frames in both of his Cy Young seasons), he probably won't be asked to shoulder a burdensome workload with the Dodgers, who will probably deploy a six-man rotation next year as Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw (who still intends to re-sign in Los Angeles) all return from injuries.

What Snell does give the Dodgers is even more valuable: another high-caliber weapon to rely upon in a potential postseason rotation. More proven insurance in case their pitching staff is ravaged by injuries again. And another signal that, even after committing close to $1.5 billion in signings last offseason and carrying a $350 million payroll (for competitive balance tax purposes) this past season, they possess all the resources needed to keep their championship window wide open.

"This is where you want to play," Snell said. "I don't think there's a better situation than what you can be in right here."