Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell has agreed to a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers, the team announced Saturday.
ESPN had reported Tuesday that Snell and the Dodgers had agreed on a contract, pending a physical, which includes opt-outs, some deferred money and a $52 million signing bonus.
Snell, who will turn 32 on Wednesday, on Tuesday posted a photoshopped picture on his Instagram account of himself wearing a Dodgers uniform with his familiar No. 7 with the caption reading “LA” with an eyeballs emoji.
The contract is the third largest for a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball history based on total value, behind only David Price’s $217 million deal with the Boston Red Sox in 2015 and Clayton Kershaw’s $215 million contract with the Dodgers in 2014, according to ESPN.
Snell won the National League Cy Young Award in 2023 when he was 14-9 with a league-best 2.23 ERA while pitching for the San Diego Padres. Snell was a free agent following the season, with the Dodgers seeking to sign him late in the process, according to the Los Angeles Times.
However, he signed late in spring training with the San Francisco Giants, receiving a two-year, $62-million deal that included an opt-out this winter which Snell exercised.
Snell got off to a slow start with a 9.51 ERA and 0-3 record at the end of June. However, he was 5-0 with an 1.23 ERA over his final 14 starts including a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 2.
Snell was the American League Cy Young Award winner in 2018 when he pitched with the Tampa Bay Rays, leading the league with an 1.89 ERA and 21 victories.
The agreement with Snell follows the acquisitions of pitching stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow entering the 2024 season. Ohtani did not pitch in 2024 after undergoing elbow surgery in 2023 and Yamamoto and Glasnow both spent time on the injured list.
The lack of healthy starting pitching prompted the Dodgers to have four bullpen games during the postseason, winning two, en route to their World Series championship.