Arguably the first surprising move of MLB free agency this offseason came with Blake Snell agreeing to a five-year, $182 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers well before the annual Winter Meetings and also prior to the Thanks giving holiday.
Rather than enduring another drawn-out free agency, as he did this last year, the left-hander found a prime opportunity with the defending World Series champions.
The Dodgers are among several notable teams in search of starting pitching, and Snell didn’t have any shortage of suitors.
Of those were a trio of American League East clubs in the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com:
According to sources, the Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles were all in on Snell prior to his decision to sign with the Dodgers, leaving the three American League East clubs to continue their search for pitching.
While also being in the market for starting pitching, the Red Sox and Yankees additionally are among the teams in pursuit of Juan Soto. The Orioles were recently mentioned as a potential landing spot for Teoscar Hernández.
With Snell no longer on the market, New York, Baltimore and Boston now will have to shift to their focus to Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, or a second tier of available starters.
Over the course of the 2024 season, Snell posted a 3.12 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 20 starts (104 innings).
Snell’s peak run came to round out the year, when he sported a 1.23 ERA, .123 batting average allowed and collected 114 strikeouts in his final 14 starts. Snell’s status as an ace-caliber starter is reinforced by the number of suitors vying for his services.
Blake Snell signing may not deter Dodgers
Even with Snell, the Dodgers reportedly may not be out of the picture for another starting pitcher.
That includes Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox, who has been a hot trade candidate for over a year.
If the Dodgers want to avoid trading prospects, they can opt to re-sign Walker Buehler. There also is the forthcoming posting of Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, who is expected to join a team during the 2025 international signing period.
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