Push to sign Blake Snell ahead of Giants contract

Orlando Ramirez/USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers have seen a lot of Blake Snell over the years since he was traded to the San Diego Padres from the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021.

In 2023, Snell won the National League Cy Young Award after a stellar season in which he had a 2.25 ERA, 234 strikeouts, 180 innings and a 6.2 WAR. It was his best season since winning the American League Cy Young Award with the Rays in 2018.

Despite his success last season, Snell was one of many Scott Boras clients who faced unprecedented contract negotiations with teams.

This opened up an opportunity for the Dodgers, who were already strapped for lefties, to be able to come in and continue to add to their historic offseason.

The Dodgers had already made numerous splashes in free agency, but they made an attempt to sign Blake Snell before he went to the San Francisco Giants, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post:

The Dodgers are rumored to have made a late play for Blake Snell before opting for the rival Giants.

By the time the Dodgers made their offer to Snell, they had already signed high-priced free agent pitchers in Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They also signed veteran James Paxton and were counting on contributions with a wide array of young players and pitchers coming off injuries to rehab.

It was part of the Dodgers’ larger strategy to stockpile as much depth as possible after what happened in 2023.

Adding another long-term and expensive contract was possible but not ideal after their previous signings. However, Snell remained on the market much longer than expected as other teams around the league were unwilling to meet his contract demands.

This allowed a possible short-term Snell contract to fit better into the Dodgers’ short-term plans.

It’s not known what the Dodgers’ final offer to Snell was, but it could have been good value if it was similar to the two-year, $62 million deal he signed with the San Francisco Giants.

It’s been a struggle for Snell this season with a 10-plus ERA, but some of that could be attributed to missing spring practice.

How would Blake Snell fit into the Dodgers rotation?

Having a talent like Snell could never hurt, but luckily for the Dodgers, their starters have done pretty well for them this season. The Dodgers are one of the best teams in baseball when it comes to starting ERA this season.

Their starting pitching depth also remains strong even after losing Emmet Sheehan for the season. In fact, the Dodgers will have more available starters than rotation spots once Bobby Miller returns and will have to make a decision on that soon.