Dodgers Blake Snell agrees to $182 million deal for first big splash of MLB offseason: reports

The Los Angeles Dodgers continue their spending spree from last year, even after winning the World Series.

The Dodgers reached further into their unrestricted pockets, inking Blake Snell to a five-year deal worth $182 million, according to multiple reports.

Of course, some other reports also say the deal is on hold.

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell throws during the second inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

The Dodgers racked up over $1 billion in contracts last year, and now they’ve landed the first nine-figure deal of this offseason, less than a month after winning the Fall Classic.

Snell joined the San Francisco Giants last offseason on a two-year deal that included an opt-out following his Cy Young Award-winning 2023 campaign. But teams were afraid to commit to him, leaving him a free agent until March.

His season got off to a rough start as he had a 9.51 ERA in his first six starts – he also got an IL effort in that frame. But in his last 14 outings, he pitched to a paltry 1.23 ERA and struck out 114 batters in 80.1 innings. Understandably, the Dodgers like what they see out of the lefty.

Blake Snell #7 of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 2, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

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Los Angeles figures to get Shohei Ohtani back in the rotation, and it remains to be seen what the fates of Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler are – the former is more likely to stay in LA and remain a career Dodger if he doesn’t retire.

But they also want Tyler Glasnow back and are the favorites to land Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, just as they did last year with Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Snell has become one of the more underrated arms in baseball, likely due to his lack of going deep in games. He pitched a no-hitter in 2024, but it had been the first time he had ever recorded an eighth-inning out in his career.

His 11.2 K/9 is the best in MLB history, and his career ERA is 3.19 — even though he has just one All-Star nod, he’s low key on at least one borderline Hall of Fame track.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell (7) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. (Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports)

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Snell turns 32 next week, so maybe the Dodgers are taking some sort of risk — but it’s pretty clear they can outrun any possible mistakes they make.

The first big splash goes to the Dodgers … and they probably aren’t done.

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