Blake Snell was the first star player signed this offseason as he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers on a five-year contract to help the defending World Series champions repeat and build a dynasty.
Snell signed for five years and $182 million as the two-time Cy Young Award winner was highly coveted by numerous teams and created somewhat of a bidding war for his services. But the Dodgers felt like it was a match made in heaven with the southpaw and got ahead of the market.
Snell was arguably the best pitcher on the market, and with the success he’s had, the Dodgers would be happy with similar results. However, the front office also believes they can get even more out of Snell and help him take another step.
“Obviously watching Blake from the other side and having conversations with him, the dedication to taking care of his body and game planning, what really stood out is the hunger to learn at every step,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said.
“When you have those intangibles along with an incredible amount of talent, those are easy things to bet on moving forward. And getting in our culture, with our coaches and staff, it’s going to help really raise it to another level because Blake is ready to fully immerse himself in that. We couldn’t be more excited about it.”
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman drafted Snell with the Tampa Bay Rays and has known him for a long time, so he’s seen the growth the 32-year-old has already had in his career. Friedman also believes there’s even more in there.
“I think it’s easy for guys to internalize that in different ways, and I think the level of maturity, accountability, staying focused on things he could control, I think speaks to that increased and continued maturation that guys often go through as they’re working through their career,” Friedman said.
“In conversations, we think his desire to be great is incredibly genuine and we think he’s got the weapons and things in place to do that.
“Usually with Major League free agents, you’re buying the backside of a guy’s career. We think there are really compelling things in place that could lead to this next five, six, seven, eight years being the best of his career.”
A wart in Snell’s game is his high walk rate, but that damage has been limited because of an ability to miss bats at an incredibly high clip. Both of those have also somewhat limited Snell’s ability to pitch deep into a game.
But his second half of the 2024 season was as good as it gets for any pitcher, and it presents a good barometer for how Snell can perform at peak level.
“I think at the very least it’s potentially providing some more consistency,” Friedman said on how Snell can improve. “That stretch in the second half was about as dominant as a pitcher can possibly be. You saw the uptick in strike one.
“When you see a guy that has had some of his challenges in walk rate, you think he doesn’t really know where the ball is going but he’s got great stuff. He actually has really good command.
“The problem is he’s really hard to hit, so therefore more pitchers can end an at-bat earlier than he can on a ball in play. Blake is so challenging to hit, that at-bats often don’t end. Whether it’s fouled off, or just locks them up and they take it, and it’s a ball.
“I think there’s some pitch selection, pitch usage, just different things that can help the extra little bit. Obviously, being a two-time Cy Young Award winner and having the stretches of dominance that he’s had, it feels like a silly comment to say, but it’s genuinely how we feel.”
What to expect from Blake Snell
Being a perfect landing spot for Snell, the Dodgers have high hopes for the veteran left-hander. Spending five years with the Tampa Bay Rays, he won a Cy Young there, and again with the San Diego Padres in 2021, so the talent is clear.
Snell signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants in 2024 and after a slow start, his second half produced an incredible stat line. In his final 14 outings, Snell posted a 1.23 ERA with 114 strikeouts and a .123 batting average allowed.
Looking ahead, Snell should be looking to improve on his ability to go deeper into games while the team tries to help him find a balance between high strikeout totals and cutting down on extra free passes.
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