MLB insider points "Dodgers only had Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler in postseason," explaining Blake Snell's $182,000,000 deal
The biggest free agent deal of this postseason was completed on Tuesday night when Blake Snell agreed a five-year, $182 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. MLB insider Jeff Passan explained the Dodgers' decision to sign the left-handed pitcher, as they only had Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler in their postseason rotation despite winning the World Series.
Snell is a two-time Cy Young Award winner and one of seven pitchers in MLB history to claim the honor in both the American League and National League. The 31-year-old had signed a two-year, $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants earlier this year but opted out of the contract and headed into free agency at the end of the season.
Passan explained why the Dodgers chose to offer a hefty contract to acquire the veteran starting pitcher.
"This happened for a few reasons," Passan said. "Number one, Blake Snell actually went out and performed this year. And after doing so, he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco Giants. He looked like his Cy Young-winning self in the second half of the season, and the Dodgers thought, 'Hey, we need rotation help even though we are the defending World Series champions.
"Remember, they only had Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty, and Walker Buehler pitching in their rotation in the postseason," he added. "They were banged up big time with injuries this year, and a guy like Snell fits them perfectly because his stuff is so good."
The Dodgers had signed Tyler Glasnow to a five-year, $145 million deal in the previous offseason, besides spending over a billion dollars on Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Ohtani was unavailable to pitch last season, while Yamamoto had a lengthy spell on the IL. Glasnow suffered injury trouble that ruled him out of the postseason. Meanwhile, Clayton Kershaw made only seven starts in the regular season, while Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May were ruled out for the entire year.
Strong Dodgers bullpen makes Blake Snell a good fit, says Jeff Passan
Although Blake Snell is one of the best strikeout artists in the game, his durability has often been questioned.
Despite being a two-time Cy Young winner, Snell has logged in more than 130 innings in only two of his nine seasons in the major leagues. However, Jeff Passan believes that shouldn't be an issue for the Los Angeles Dodgers due to the strength and depth of their bullpen.
"The Dodgers every year have a great bullpen and feel like, 'If we get five or six innings out of our starting pitcher and have a guy who is ready for October, that's the person we want to bet on,'" he said.
Snell made a terrible start to the 2024 season before a couple of trips to the IL during the summer. However, he was outstanding on the mound after making his comeback at the start of July, posting a 12-2 record in 14 starts, with a 1.23 ERA, including 114 strikeouts in 80.1 innings.