The Los Angeles Dodgers addressed their starting rotation by signing two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract.
The deal reportedly includes a $52 million signing bonus that lowers the Dodgers’ competitive balance tax hit. Snell and the Dodgers also agreed to defer $66 million of his salary through July 1, 2046, with annual $5.5 million payments beginning in 2035.
Snell’s contract does not contain any opt-outs but includes a limited no-trade clause. In the event the left-hander is traded to another team, he will receive an additional $5 million.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Dodgers also will hold a team option for the 2030 season if Snell misses a significant amount of time due to a specific injury:
Snell, Blake
DodgersSigning Bonus – $52M
$26M each year, 13.2M deferred without interest each year — 2025-2029
Club Option 2030 $10M if (a) Player hasn’t been assigned to another Club and (b) Player has 90 or more days in row on IL due to specific injury
Plus: $5M if traded
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 3, 2024
It is believed that the Dodgers will gain a club option if Snell sustains an injury to his pitching elbow. The left-hander underwent elbow surgery during the 2019 season, but otherwise has not been sidelined because of arm trouble.
Snell went 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA, 2.43 FIP and 1.05 WHIP across 20 games for the San Francisco Giants this year. He got off to a slow start, but bounced back by posting an MLB-best 1.45 ERA among qualified starting pitchers after the All-Star break.
Blake Snell: ‘No better situation’ than Dodgers
The Dodgers formally introduced Snell during a press conference at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, during which explained the motivation behind signing with the team.
“Being in L.A., the pressure is always on. I like that,” Snell began.
“Living here is pretty amazing with the opportunities. Being able to pitch in a packed stadium, get to make moments for people, this is where you want to play. I don’t think there’s a better situation you could be in than right here.
“And knowing Andrew as well as I know him, that played a big part. It all started because he believed in me, so I couldn’t see a better reason not to come here. The goal is to end it here, so we’ll see how long I can push my career for and see how many World Series we can win.”
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