Less than a month after winning the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers are spending big again to add one of baseball’s best pitchers to their star-studded roster.
Blake Snell and the Dodgers agreed to a US$182 million, five-year contract, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations said.
The person on Tuesday night spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, because the deal is subject to a successful physical.
Photo: AP
The two-time Cy Young Award winner broke the news personally by posting a photo of himself on social media in a Dodgers uniform — No. 7.
Snell would join two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and fellow Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto atop Los Angeles’ rotation, giving the Dodgers the first mega deal of this offseason following Ohtani’s US$700 million, 10-year contract and Yamamoto’s US$325 million, 12-year deal last winter.
Ohtani did not pitch this year while recovering from right elbow surgery, but is expected to be back on the mound next year. He won his third Most Valuable Player award — first in the US National League — following a huge season at the plate exclusively as a designated hitter.
Yamamoto went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts as a rookie, then won twice in four outings last month.
Down to three healthy starting pitchers during the postseason, Los Angeles overcame a string of injuries to its projected rotation in winning the franchise’s second World Series title in five years.
Right-handers Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler then became free agents this fall, creating more voids on the staff. However, the addition of Snell would fill a large one at the top with a legitimate ace.
Snell’s US$36.4 million average salary would rank as the fifth-highest among active deals next year behind Ohtani (US$70 million), Philadelphia pitcher Zack Wheeler (US$42 million), New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (US$40 million) and Texas pitcher Jacob deGrom (US$37 million). Among expired contracts, it also was exceeded by pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander (both US$43.33 million) under deals they agreed to with the New York Mets.
ESPN first reported the details of Snell’s contract.
Earlier this month, Snell opted out of his deal with San Francisco to become a free agent for the second consecutive offseason after he was slowed by injuries during his lone year with the Giants.
The left-hander agreed in March to a US$62 million, two-year contract that included a US$17 million signing bonus payable on Jan. 15, 2026, a US$15 million salary for this year and a US$30 million salary for next year, of which US$15 million would have been deferred and payable on July 1, 2027.
Snell, who turns 32 next week, went 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 20 starts this year, throwing a no-hitter at Cincinnati on Aug. 2 for one of only 16 individual shutouts in the major leagues this season. He struck out 145 and walked 44 in 104 innings.
He was sidelined between April 19 and May 22 by a strained left adductor and between June 2 and July 9 by a strained left groin.
Snell won Cy Young Awards in 2018 with Tampa Bay and last year with San Diego. He is 76-58 with a 3.19 ERA in nine seasons with the Rays (2016 to 2020), Padres (2021 to last year) and Giants.
Because he turned down a qualifying offer from San Diego in November last year, the Giants were not eligible to give Snell another one and will not receive draft-pick compensation.
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