The deal of blake snell , which is pending a physical, includes no opt-outs, some deferred money and a $52 million signing bonus, sources said.
For the Dodgers, Snell gives the World Series champions a frontline starter for their title defense next season after they survived October by depending heavily on their bullpen with just three healthy starters. For Snell, the pact marks a much quicker and satisfying conclusion to his second stint as a free agent
Snell, in his one season with the Giants, finished with a 3.12 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 104 innings. After signing just before the season, he got off to a slow start and dealt with injuries. But in the second half of the season, the 31-year-old posted a 1.45 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings in 12 starts.
Snell always will hold a place in Giants history after he threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 2.
He instead joined the Giants in late March, missing most of spring training and struggling mightily at the start of the 2024 season. Six starts in, Snell held a 9.51 ERA and was headed to the injured list for a second time with a groin strain. When he returned, Snell performed like one of the game’s best pitchers to finish at 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA and 145 strikeouts (and just 44 walks) in 104 innings over 20 starts, making his decision to opt out a no-brainer.
Kathleen Peters, Pinellas County Court Commission chairperson, issued a letter Monday to Rays presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman requesting a decision from the team.
Last week, Auld and Silverman wrote a letter to the County Commission that suggested the team would not agree to a deal for a new stadium and is “ready to work on a new solution” in the area.
Rays officials wrote in the Nov. 19 letter that a new stadium would not be completed in time for the 2028 season, while opening a stadium the following year would be too expensive. The team also wrote that it has spent over $50 million toward building the new stadium, but the county has allegedly “suspended work on the entire project.”
“As we have informed the county administrator and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, the county’s failure to finalize the bonds last month ended the ability for a 2028 delivery of the ballpark,” the Rays letter read. “As we have made clear at every step of this process, a 2029 ballpark delivery would result in significantly higher costs that we are not able to absorb alone.”
