Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers and catchers are into Spring Training workouts as their Cactus League schedule opens Feb. 20, and among those to throw bullpen sessions thus far are Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki.
The trio is expected to spearhead the Dodgers’ starting rotation this season, along with Tyler Glasnow returning from a right elbow injury. For Snell and Sasaki, they both are entering their first year with the Dodgers after signing during a wildly successful offseason for the front office.
During an appearance on “MLB Tonight” with Greg Amsinger and Tom Verducci, Snell marveled at throwing a bullpen session in front of Clayton Kershaw during a Dodgers Spring Training workout at Camelback Ranch, via MLB Network:
“Putting a jersey on the first time, to me, that was amazing. I’ve been waiting to do that for a while. So to throw a bullpen in uniform, you see Kershaw, that’s crazy to me. That’s like the coolest thing I think I’ve done in my career, is pitch in front of him. I can’t wait to see how the season goes.”
Kershaw has been in Dodgers camp since the beginning of week, arriving ahead of his re-signing being made official.
Meanwhile, Snell signed a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers after opting out of his deal with the San Francisco Giants. Snell’s contract with the Dodgers included a $52 million signing bonus, $66 million in deferred salary and a limited no-trade clause.
In the event the Dodgers trade Snell before his contract expires, the left-hander would receive $5 million in added compensation.
As for getting to share a rotation with Kershaw, that won’t come until later in the season as the veteran is recovering from offseason surgeries to his left knee and foot.
Blake Snell defends Dodgers
Snell was part of another Dodgers spending spree in the offseason, which has earned them plenty of criticism amid claims of ruining baseball.
However, the 32-year-old, who lingered in free agency before signing a short-term contract with the Giants, believes more teams need to operate with a mindset similar to what the Dodgers have.
“I don’t look at us as villains,” Snell said. “I look at us as a team that wants to win. If any other teams or fanbases want to get upset, you know what to do. Follow what the Dodgers are doing. They want to win, they’re spending money.
“That’s how you have to do it.”
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