The Dodgers poured gas on the Hot Stove Tuesday night, agreeing to a five-year, $182 million contract with Blake Snell, according to multiple reports.
Snell’s average annual salary of $36.4 million is slightly higher than the $36 million Yankees ace Gerrit Cole makes. However, Snell’s deal, which has not yet been announced, 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 Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Bombers were on Snell before he came to terms with the Dodgers. So did two other American League East teams, the Red Sox and Orioles. Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of the New York Post added that the Yankees had a Zoom call with Snell earlier in the day Tuesday, but are currently focused on retaining Juan Soto.
While much of the baseball world — including the Yankees and Dodgers — awaits Soto’s decision, Snell is the first high-profile free agent to sign this winter. It’s a turnaround for the left-hander, as Snell didn’t officially sign with the Giants until March 19 of last season. He was one of four clients of Scott Boras who did not sign until after teams reported to spring training, a process that involved persistent rumors linking Snell to the Yankees after receiving an offer from the club earlier in the offseason.
Snell ultimately signed 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 had another good season after winning his second Cy Young with San Diego in 2023. The 31-year-old posted 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 the team would look at the starting pitcher 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 assigned soon. The Dodgers are considered Sasaki’s favorites, but the Yankees have been looking for the right-hander for years.
Even if Los Angeles doesn’t land the Flamethrower or another starter, it will benefit from a revamped rotation with Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin or Bobby Miller.
With injuries dismantling the Dodgers’ rotation, only Yamamoto, who chose Los Angeles over New York last offseason, pitched for the club in its World Series victory over the Yankees.
