Los Angeles was writing checks once more less than a month after the confetti was still settling at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers do precisely that. And they weren’t going to let Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, legitimate ace, and pitcher they’d been quietly pursuing for more than a year, walk twice when his name was at the top of their winter shopping list.
Blake Snell’s five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers came with an average yearly salary of $36.4 million. A $52 million signing bonus is included, and a portion of the yearly salaries are deferred ($13 million annually, payable later), which easily fits into the Dodgers’ long-term financial plan. Snell’s base pay is $26 million in 2026 alone, with a total cap of about $27.8 million. On most teams, that figure would seem insurmountable. It’s just another line item in Los Angeles.
It’s not just the size that makes this deal intriguing. It’s the order. Before Snell signed with San Francisco in March 2024, the Dodgers made an unsuccessful last-minute attempt to sign him. Before the trade deadline, they checked in once more and watched as Snell battled two different injury stints: a strained adductor in April and a groin problem in June, while the Giants stumbled out of postseason contention. Los Angeles was prepared for him to eventually opt out of his Giants contract and return to free agency. They didn’t think twice.
While Snell is out there pitching in Dodger blue, the Giants still owe him money from that prior agreement, a $17 million deferred payment from his two-year, $62 million San Francisco contract that is due in January 2026. This is almost poetic. After signing him, San Francisco had to pay him despite his injuries, watch him pitch a no-hitter against Cincinnati in August, and then cut the check while he assisted their fiercest rival. Baseball can be truly bizarre at times.
There’s not much to say about the rotation Snell is entering. Tyler Glasnow when healthy, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani returning to the mound following elbow surgery, and now Snell at the front or very close to it. Only Ohtani, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Judge, and Jacob deGrom have higher average annual salaries than him at $36.4 million.
That ranking will raise some eyebrows for a pitcher who is approaching his 32nd birthday and missed almost two months of the previous season. It’s still unclear if the Dodgers’ medical staff and resources will alter the situation, or if the injury concerns will follow him into this contract. They might. Pitchers typically give the Dodgers more than anyone anticipates.
It is important to remember Snell’s past. With a 1.89 ERA in 2018, he won his first Cy Young while playing for Tampa Bay. His second came with San Diego in 2023, when, despite pitching fewer than 180 innings, he led the majors in strikeout rate and ERA. When he’s well, he’s always been electric. Keeping him on the mound has been difficult. The Dodgers are wagering that they have enough talent and a solid support system to make five years and $182 million seem worthwhile rather than risky.
Another level is added by Snell’s relationship with Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations for the Dodgers. When Tampa Bay selected Snell in the first round of the 2011 draft, Friedman was the executive in charge of the Rays. When talks began this winter, there was a familiarity and a degree of trust that likely made the conversation easier. These things are more important than they are given credit for.
More than any specific statistic, this signing shows that the Dodgers are not content with merely winning. They want the discussion to be dull. Adding Snell feels more like a message than a move when Ohtani, Yamamoto, Glasnow, and Kershaw are already circling. The other teams in the league are vying for a different prize.
