Two-time Cy Young Award winning pitcher Blake Snell made his debut Tuesday afternoon in a Dodger blue uniform at a press conference at Dodger Stadium.
The left-handed pitcher appeared at Dodger Stadium with his agent Scott Boras last week after agreeing to a five-year, $182 million contract with the world champions. That money is still pending positive physical results, but the contract is expected to include opt-outs, deferral payments, and a $52 million signing bonus.
“It was really easy because me and Haley knew we wanted to live here. It’s something we’d been talking about for a while,” Snell said of his girlfriend. “Then you look at the team. You look at what they’re building and what they’re doing. It’s just something you want to be a part of.”
The contract is the third-largest contract for a left-handed pitcher in Major League history.
Snell, who turns 32 on Wednesday, posted a Photoshopped photo of himself in a Dodgers uniform on his Instagram account. On Tuesday he wore the real thing.
“I just played it in a way that made the people around me feel comfortable, I felt comfortable and they felt comfortable,” Snell said. “We talked and found something that seemed to work for both of us. You want your value, you want to be respected, and you want enough time until you can really make a name for yourself.” I’ve made a name for myself outside of Los Angeles, and I’m going to continue to get invested.”
Snell began his career with the Tampa Bay Rays, playing from 2016 to 2020. He moved to Southern California for the 2021 season and joined the Padres’ pitching rotation until 2023. Snell then signed a two-year, $62 million contract with San Francisco. The Giants chose to leave during the offseason.
Snell won his first Cy Young Award (an award given to each league’s best pitcher) in 2018 and his second in 2023.
He threw his first no-hitter with the Giants last summer.
Snell will now pitch alongside Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow for the 2024 season.
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