The Dodgers poured some gasoline on the Hot Stove on Tuesday night, agreeing to a five-year, $182 million contract with Blake Snell, according to multiple reports.
Snell’s $36.4 million average annual salary is slightly higher than the $36 million Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is making. However, Snell’s still-to-be-announced deal comes with a $52 million signing bonus and some deferred money. It also gives Los Angeles a two-time Cy Young winner after beating the Yankees in the World Series.
According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the Bombers were in on Snell before he came to terms with the Dodgers. So were two other American League East teams, the Red Sox and Orioles. Meanwhile, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman added that the Yankees had a Zoom call with Snell earlier in the day on Tuesday, but they’re currently focused on retaining Juan Soto.
With much of the baseball world — including the Yankees and Dodgers — waiting on Soto’s decision, Snell is the first top-shelf free agent to sign this winter. It’s a flip of the script for the southpaw, as Snell didn’t officially sign with the Giants until March 19 last season. He was one of four Scott Boras clients who didn’t sign until after teams reported to spring training, a process that involved persistent rumors linking Snell to the Yankees after he received an offer from the club earlier in the offseason.
Snell ultimately inked a two-year, $62 million deal with San Francisco. That deal came with a player option, which Snell exercised earlier this offseason.
While Snell got off to a rough start after his delayed signing, he enjoyed another strong season after winning his second Cy Young with San Diego in 2023. The 31-year-old logged a 3.12 ERA over 20 starts for the Giants. He also struck out 34.7% of the batters he faced while lowering his BB% to 10.5.
With Snell off the board, Soto remains the Yankees’ top priority. However, Hal Steinbrenner recently said that the team will look at the starting pitching market, which still includes free agents Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Jack Flaherty and Sean Manaea, among others. Roki Sasaki, a 23-year-old Japanese ace, will also be posted in the near future. The Dodgers have been pegged as favorites for Sasaki, but the Yankees have been scouting the righty for years.
Even if Los Angeles doesn’t land the flamethrower or another starter, it will boast a revamped rotation with Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and either Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin or Bobby Miller.
With injuries dismantling the Dodgers’ rotation, only Yamamoto, who picked L.A. over New York last offseason, pitched for the club in its World Series victory over the Yankees.
