Blake Snell has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Last week, left-handed pitcher Blake Snell signed a five year, $182 million contract with the team that includes no opt-outs and a $52 million signing bonus. This can be seen as risky as the value of Snell had been questionable given his rough path last season.
Although Snell was able to stay injury free at the beginning of the campaign, he struggled in March as he posted a 9.51 Earned Run Average (ERA) and was on the injured list twice. Many thought that he was not worth the two year, $62 million deal the San Francisco Giants had given him last offseason.
However, Snell began to return to his dominant form in the second half of the season. This was on full display during the complete game he threw against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 2, where he struck out 11 batters in a no-hitter. This game was the apex of a strong campaign from the 31 year-old as Snell finished the season with a 5-3 record and a 3.12 ERA in 20 starts. While several teams, including the Dodgers were interested in acquiring Snell at the trade deadline, he remained in San Francisco.
With this move, the Dodgers have added to the one weakness the team had during their World Series run last season: starting pitching. Many players on their staff were injured by the postseason, leading to the Dodgers using an opener during some of their games. However, the addition of Snell will help fix this as he will be a key piece to a rotation that already includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Bobby Miller and Shohei Ohtani. If the starting rotation can stay healthy, there is no reason to believe why the Dodgers cannot repeat as World Series Champions.
Blake Snell signing with Dodgers five-year $182 million deal
Blake Snell contract with Dodgers: $182 million, 5 years
