The Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday afternoon made the signing of Blake Snell official, revealing that they snagged the 31-year-old lefty to a five-year, $182 million contract after he opted out of his current two-year deal with rival San Francisco.
For front-office boss Andrew Friedman and his crew, this acquisition represents more than just adding another high-quality arm — it spearheads what could be a productive offseason that sets the team up for a run at another World Championship.
The deal includes a $52 million signing bonus and deferred money, resulting in a competitive balance tax hit of approximately $32 to 33 million annually. This structure allows the Dodgers to maintain flexibility while adding one of baseball’s most dominant left-handed pitchers to a potentially loaded rotation.
Snell’s Pitching Arsenal: A Perfect Fit
What makes Snell such a compelling addition is his exceptional arsenal. The left-hander brings elite stuff to Chavez Ravine, featuring a highly formidable four-seam that ranks as the fourth hardest among current MLB lefty starters at 95.9 mph, according to Brooks Baseball.
His three devastating off-speed pitches — a curveball, changeup and slider — each generate whiff rates above 40%, making him the only pitcher in baseball to achieve such high swing-and-miss rates across three different offerings. Snell’s 12.5 K/9 last season was the highest of his nine-year career.
The New-Look Los Angeles Rotation
The addition of Snell creates what could be one of baseball’s top rotations. He joins forces with Tyler Glasnow, a former teammate from their Tampa Bay days, along with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who showed off his capabilities in October. Shohei Ohtani is expected to return to the mound at some point during the 2025 season, and the team has several other options that include Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Bobby Miller and possibly Clayton Kershaw.
Signing Snell might also indicate that the Dodgers might not be confident in landing right-handed free agents Jack Flaherty or Walker Buehler, who were both instrumental in the squad’s 2024 playoff run. Snell coming onboard has also somewhat quieted the many rumors surrounding the team’s pursuit of 23-year-old Japanese righty Roki Sasaki.
Managing Expectations and Challenges
While Snell’s addition significantly bolsters the starting rotation, there are considerations to manage. His workload history shows he’s topped 130 innings just twice in nine seasons, and his control issues (3.8 BB/9 in 2024) can lead to shorter outings. The team may also need to implement a six-man rotation to accommodate both Ohtani and Yamamoto’s schedules.
Last year, Snell logged just 20 starts and 104.0 innings after missing four weeks early in the season with a hip injury and nearly the entire month of June with a groin issue. However, that doesn’t overshadow his 32 starts and Cy Young Award with the San Diego Padres in 2023, which was probably the second-best season of his career. Snell’s career-high 180-2/3 innings pitched came during his benchmark season with the Rays, when he won his first Cy Young with a 21-5 record and a ridiculous 1.89 ERA.
Looking Ahead
The Snell signing represents more than just adding a premium arm — it’s about solidifying the Dodgers’ position as World Series favorites and building upon their 2024 championship. With a rotation featuring multiple Cy Young winners (if Kershaw can return to form) and some of baseball’s most electric arms, the Dodgers might have assembled a pitching staff that matches their high ambitions.
For a franchise looking to establish a dynasty, signing Snell might just be the move that helps them become the first team since the 1999-2000 Yankees to win back-to-back World Series titles. Bringing back a power bat like Teoscar Hernandez and bolstering the bullpen with a few high-quality arms could solidify their chances even more.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
I think the delay in Sasaki’s posting threw a monkey wrench into the plans for signing pitchers this winter.
I assume that Andrew wanted Snell from the beginning so I’m glad he managed to sign him, but I think they originally assumed that if Sasaki was going to be posted this winter it would be early enough that they could sign him in the period that ends December 15th. Now it appears that they’ll only be able to sign him beginning January 15th and will be competing with all the other teams in MLB.
That may very well enter into their decision as to whether they go after another starter since they won’t know about Sasaki until late in the off season.
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Sasaki will now be posted at the winter meetings so it’s game on for him. I hope and think we are the favorites but every team in the league is going to be lining up to get this guy because young premium arms on affordable contracts aren’t easily attainable and would command a ton in trade but this will be just money and peanuts compared to what he’d get in regular free agency. Time to roll out the red carpet and for Ohtani and Yamamoto to make him see this is the place he wants to be if he wants to win. This rotation would be absolutely unfair and I hope it happens.
1. Kershaw (we know he isn’t the #1 but just out of respect he will always be 1st as long as still pitching.)
2.Glasnow
3. Snell
4. Yamamoto
5. Sasaki
6. Ohtani/Gonsolin/ May/Knack/ MillerObviously I’m assuming we lose Walker Buehler in free agency but we land Sasaki to take his place. Then it’s about if/when they plan to start Ohtani but it won’t be the start of the season so someone else with get their chance. Personally I would love it if Ohtani made 10-15 starts and cap him around 90 innings next year. In 2026 after he knows he’s 100% recovered then you have the conversation of having him pitch more. I really want one of our younger guy to get a shot for that last rotation spot. After Ohtani Id have to say Gonsolin is the favorite but if Dustin May comes back healthy I really think he belongs in the back of the bullpen and could even be the closer there in short order with his stuff. Get a deal done to bring Teoscar back and we are good to do. This 2025 Dodger team is going to be scary good. Even with all the injuries last year they still won it all and won it easily. All I can say to the opponent that would have to face a 4 man playoff rotation of Glasnow, Snell, Yamamoto and Sasaki would be good luck. Then turn around and you get Ohtani, Betts, Freeman and Teoscar one after the other.
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The Sasaki Conundrum:
It would have been much easier for Andrew if he knew by mid December whether he was getting Sasaki or not. Technically, if posted next week, he could still sign by Dec. 15th, but then things shut down until Jan. 15th. Everyone is expecting that he’ll wait until the 2025 period opens mid January, but he could surprise everyone.
The assumption is that his ties with Ohtani and Yamamoto and the fact that he’s very close with Darvish make LA and SD the favorites to sign him, but we really don’t know what goes on his head. Is it important that he be on the West Coast? Is it important that he have one or two Japanese teammates? Maybe he wants to be the bigshot on the team and will sign with a team that doesn’t currently have a super star.
Since neither Ohtani or Kershaw are likely to be ready at the start of the season, AF might decide to sign or trade for another starter even if he gets Sasaki. Or, they could start the season with Snell, Glasnow, Yamamoto, and, if no Sasaki, pick from Knack, Gonsolin, Miller, Wrobleski, Ferris and May, and mix in the more frequent scheduled off days at the beginning of the season to make a rotation that works until Ohtani and Kershaw are available.
We should be in for an exciting week at the meetings. I think as soon as Soto decides where he’s going, everything else will break loose.
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