By Jorey Perry
The Los Angeles Dodgers have made another significant offseason acquisition, signing free agent left-handed pitcher Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 deal. The deal is pending a physical and includes no opt-outs, deferred money, and a $52 million signing bonus. It is the third largest contract for a left-handed pitcher in MLB history based on total value, trailing David Price’s 2015 contract with the Red Sox worth $217 million, and Clayton Kershaw’s 2014 contract with the Dodgers worth $215 million. Snell’s contract also ranks fifth-highest among active deals next year.
Snell is coming off a stellar season, posting a 3.12 ERA with 145 strikeouts and 44 walks in 104 innings. In his 9-year MLB career the left-hander is carrying a 76-58 record with an ERA of 3.19. The Seattle-native holds the second lowest ERA in the MLB with at least 250 innings pitched, coming behind Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. In 2018 Snell took home the Cy Young award, leading the league with 21 wins and posting the lowest ERA in the American League with 1.89. Snell won his second Cy Young in 2023, putting up a 14-9 record with 234 strikeouts in 180 pitched with the San Diego Padres.
Snell has dealt with several injuries throughout the span of his career. The 31-year-old was limited to just fourteen starts last season after being sidelined between April 19 and May 22 by a strained left adductor and also missing June 2 to July 9 with a strained left groin. The star has faced several injuries throughout his career, last season's limited starts marked the fifth time in his seven full seasons that he failed to qualify for the ERA title. In both 2018 and 2019 the left-hander dealt with major injuries which forced him to miss a large portion of the season. The 2-time Cy Young winner dealt with left shoulder fatigue in 2018, marking his first significant issue in his career. The following year, he underwent surgery on his elbow to remove loose bodies, resulting in him missing several weeks. He missed some time in 2021 with gastroenteritis and a mysterious illness later that month.
This move adds another star player to the Dodgers roster which is filled with elite talent. LA adds to an already loaded pitching staff which includes MVP Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow plus Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Bobby Miller and Clayton Kershaw. The team is also reportedly among the top contenders to sign Japanese star right-hander Roki Sasaki.
The Dodgers are coming off a phenomenal season last year that saw them win the World Series. The team finished with a regular season record of 98-64 which was the best record in the MLB. ESPN ranks the team as the favourites to win the world series, and become the first repeat champions since the Yankees won three straight titles from 1998 to 2000.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will open their season on March 27th against the Detroit Tigers in the first game of a three-game weekend series.
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