The Los Angeles Dodgers will look to add to its rotation and one prediction has them adding a two-time Cy Young winner.
Blake Snell is one of the top starting pitchers available and is ranked as the fourth-best free agent in MLB Trade Rumors rankings. In their rankings and predictions article, Steve Adams has the Dodgers landing Snell on a five-year $160 million deal, who would leave the San Francisco Giants.
“Snell and Boras could try to repeat that feat and secure six years,” the article said. “Snell has pitched at such a high level that it’s easy to see his argument for doing so. But the likelier outcome is a shorter-term deal — four years at a super-premium annual rate or five years at a very strong (but slightly lesser) annual rate.
“We’re going with the latter for our prediction,” the article added. “The Giants aren’t likely to re-sign him, but Snell will have no shortage of big-money and/or clean-payroll teams pursuing him. The Mets, Red Sox, Dodgers, Orioles, Tigers, Padres, and Cubs will all be in the market for starting pitching this winter.”
Snell won the Cy Young Award in 2018 and 2023. The left-hander signed a two-year, $62 million contract with the Giants last offseason but he opted out after one season. In his lone season with the Giants, Snell went 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 104 innings over 20 starts.
Snell Would Bolster Dodgers’ Rotation
If the Dodgers do sign Snell away from their rival in the Giants it would bolster its rotation.
Los Angeles has Yoshinobu Yamomoto as its ace but Snell could be the Dodgers’ No. 2 starter. He also would add insurance to Los Angeles’ rotation that saw plenty of injuries last season.
Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Shohei Ohtani, and Tyler Glasnow could all be part of the Dodgers rotation in 2025, but all four dealt with injuries last season.
In his career, Snell is 76-58 with a 3.19 ERA as he’s pitched 1096 innings. The left-hander has also gone 4-3 with a 3.33 ERA in 12 games in his playoff career.
Snell Dealt With Injuries Last Season
Snell’s 2024 season was a tale of two halves.
In the first half, the left-hander’s contract with the Giants looked like a poor one. He rushed through spring training and in his first three starts, he pitched 11.2 innings allowing 15 runs.
Snell was then placed on the IL with an adductor strain. When he was activated, Snell made three more starts with a 7.50 ERA and went back on the IL with a groin strain.
However, after getting healthy in July, Snell turned his season around and became a dominant pitcher. He pitched five scoreless innings in his first start back and then allowed just 2 earned runs over 5 starts, spanning 33 innings, including a no-hitter.
“From July 9 through season’s end, Snell didn’t just recapture his Cy Young form — he improved upon it,” MLB Trade Rumors article said. “He was the best pitcher on the planet for three months, rattling off 80 1/3 innings with a downright comical 1.23 ERA. He fanned a whopping 38.1% of his opponents. Snell won a Cy Young in ’23 in spite of a 13.3% walk rate. Down the stretch in ’24, he walked 10% of his opponents. That’s still higher than the 8.2% league average but is nevertheless a major improvement.”
