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What if Blake Snell had joined the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason? Snell paring with Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinnobu Yamamoto would have been their dream rotation.
Instead, despite having an early offer from the New York Yankees, Snell waited throughout the Spring Training season and joined the Dodgers' rivals, the San Francisco Giants ,for a two-year, $62 million contract.
However, according to New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the Dodgers made an effort to snap up Snell before the Giants. Although the exact details haven’t been revealed, it’s safe to assume that either Snell wasn’t interested in the Dodgers or the deal wasn’t good enough to persuade the NL Cy Young winner to move to LA.
Heyman reported:
“Word is the Dodgers made a late play for Blake Snell before he opted for the rival Giants.
"As it was, L.A.’s winter was an all-timer: Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Teoscar Hernandez, James Paxton, more. The effort shows they still have money to spend, though.”
Eventually, the Giants convinced him to play for them. Despite the delayed season start, he doesn’t have to adjust much, as his old and new teams are from the same NL East Division, where the Dodgers compete as well.
Last season’s gallant display of a 2.25 ERA in 180.0 innings made fans and experts alike hope for another impressive season from Snell in 2024. However, the All-Star ace hasn’t had a win in five starts. He has pitched for 19.0 innings and earned 22 runs, posting a 10.42 ERA.
Had Snell joined the Dodgers or the Yankees, the results might have been different. But his contract has a player opt-out for 2025 if he wants to take his services elsewhere.
Blake Snell believes Spring Training miss is one of the major reasons for his slump
Although the Spring Training season is just a two-month session, the players need to get the real game’s touch after a long off-season break. At the same time, it also sets the stage for promising rookies to convince their teams of their abilities.
However, Blake Snell missed that opportunity this year. His agent, Scott Boras held him throughout the session to maximize his worth. Meanwhile, Snell only got a few weeks' notice before his debut with the Giants.
After the 6-1 defeat to the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park, Giants starter Blake Snell admitted that the lack of Spring Training game experience has impacted his overall performance.
“Yeah, the big league Spring Training, you need it. It's tough to do it, though I did everything I could to be ready, and even after just two weeks noticing how much better I was throwing the ball just being here every day," Snell said in the post-game interview.
“I didn't face a big league hitter until I pitched my first game in the big leagues this year. It's tough.”
However, he will get chances to bounce back if can avoid injuries. Meanwhile, the Giants are in a comfortable position with a 29-28 record, trailing the Dodgers for top place in the NL West.
