The Los Angeles Dodgers will get several top starters back from injury for the 2025 campaign, including Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, and of course Shohei Ohtani. However, they also lost a bunch of useful arms to injury or free agency, which is why the organization is working hard to secure a top hurler in the offseason at the very least.
According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox have held meetings with Blake Snell and his camp. That report proves that LA is trying to come up with at least another top arm to complement their rotation, as they have already shown interest in Max Fried and Corbin Burnes at various points of the offseason.
Money, of course, could make or break the Dodgers’ pursuit of Snell. Steve Adams wrote:
One deterrent for the Dodgers could be an already bloated luxury-tax bill. RosterResource pegs them at $270MM in obligations, meaning they’re already well into the second tier of penalty. Snell alone could push them into the fourth tier, particularly on a high-AAV short-term deal.
Even using last year’s $31MM AAV as a hypothetical guideline — and Snell has a case for a higher one on another relatively short deal — Snell would cost the Dodgers nearly $57MM in year one of the contract. That’d also set the Dodgers up to pay a 110% tax on any dollars spent thereafter.
Performance-wise, Snell would make plenty of sense for the Dodgers
Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Whereas Fried or Burnes will likely get longer deals, Snell is 32 and with an important injury history. Instead of signing, say, a seven-year deal, he might settle for a four or five-year contract. He and his agent, however, will try to make every one of those years count when it comes to AAV.
Performance-wise, it’s safe to say Snell still has it. He finished the 2024 campaign with a 3.12 ERA in 104 innings, accumulating 145 strikeouts. He was able to overcome a rough start (probably due to the fact he missed all spring training) to post a 1.45 second-half ERA, and would look amazing near the top of the Dodgers rotation.
If they somehow manage to make the finances work, Snell makes perfect sense for the Dodgers. It’s still an unlikely marriage because he will probably be able to get a better offer from another team with more money to offer, but past experiences have taught us not to underestimate LA when it comes to finding creative ways to add talent.
