As it stands, the Dodgers will enter the 2024 MLB stretch run facing much the same issue that has plagued them all season: The health of their starting pitchers. While they’ve had issues in their lineup, too—Mookie Betts in particular—keeping the starters active has been the biggest problems.
Tyler Glasnow is injured again. The team still has not gotten Yoshinobu Yamamoto back, either, from his lingering triceps injury. Rookie River Ryan made a solid first impression a month ago, and promptly went out with an injury that will require Tommy John surgery.
The Dodgers are hoping the return of Clayton Kershaw and the trade deadline acquisition of Jack Flaherty will be enough to carry the rotation through to the playoffs and, with any luck, the World Series. But it remains a point of uncertainty for the team, and that will continue to be the case when next season comes around.
By then, only Yamamoto, Glasnow and Gavin Stone are likely to be in place as sure bets for the rotation. There are a number of wildcards, too, but it is clear the Dodgers could be in the market for a reliable ace next winter. And one that stands out: the resurgent Giants lefty Blake Snell.
Dodgers Have Inquired in the Past
There’s no doubt that the Dodgers have been circling around Snell for a while now. They considered signing him when his free agency dragged into March before the start of the season, and were in contact with the Giants about a trade for Snell back at the deadline. Neither connection materialized, though.
Now, though, in an article titled, “Updated Blake Snell Landing Spots in Free Agency amid Giants Opt-Out Rumors,” Zachary Rymer of Bleacher Report resuscitates the notion of Snell as a future Dodger, potentially as a free-agent signee in 2025.
He wrote:
“Between (injuries) and the ever-looming possibility of Clayton Kershaw finally hanging up his spikes, it doesn’t take much to see a future in which Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who ran the Tampa Bay Rays when they drafted Snell in 2011, kicks the tires on Snell yet again. And with them, money is never really an issue.
“Rather, a better question is how motivated the Dodgers will be to sign Snell.
“Glasnow, Yamamoto and Gavin Stone are locked in for 2025, which will also bring Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin will also be in line to return from elbow surgeries and, hey, Kershaw could always exercise his $5 million player option in lieu of retiring.”
Blake Snell Red-Hot Since All-Star Break
The Dodgers would likely have competition for Snell, who signed a two-year deal with the Giants worth $62 million. But the second year of the deal is a player options worth more than $38 million, and given the second-half surge Snell has been on, it’s increasingly likely he will opt out of that year.
On the year, Snell has had an injury-plagued record of 2-3 with a 3.67 ERA. But that does not tell the whole story for the 2023 Cy Young Award winner, who was 14-9 with a league-best 2.25 ERA that season.
In five starts since the All-Star break, Snell has gone 2-0 with an ERA of 1.05 and a batting average allowed of .123. He has struck out an eye-popping 55 batters in 34 innings pitched. That includes a no-hitter he dealt back on August 2 against the Reds.
It’s a small sample size, but Snell has been so impressive that his market figures to remain hot into the winter. The free-spending Dodgers will have to inquire about him, at least.
