Cody Snavely
Despite the Los Angeles Dodgers being the reigning World Series Champions and spending well over one billion dollars last offseason, they remain heavily active in the free agent market this offseason with top-end talent.
Major League Baseball insider Mark Feinsand already reported that top free agent outfielder Juan Soto, 26, and the Dodgers were set to meet this week as early as this past Tuesday. However, Soto is not the only big name on the Dodgers’ to-do list.
According to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, the Los Angeles Dodgers have already met with top left-handed starting pitcher Blake Snell and have shown interest in lefty Max Fried and right-handed pitcher Corbin Burnes.
It comes as no surprise that the Dodgers, led by President of Baseball Operations Andrew Freidman and General Manager Brandon Gomes, have shown considerable interest in the top starting pitchers on the market this winter.
While the team added multiple starters last offseason, such as acquiring and extending Tyler Glasnow, signing top Japanese arm Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a massive 12-year $325 million deal, and getting massive contributions from rookie right-hander Gavin Stone, the Dodgers still had to use nineteen starters this season, the most in the league.
The Dodgers’ interest in Snell is nothing new. According to the Athletic, they showed interest last offseason before Snell inked a two-year deal with their National League West rival, the San Francisco Giants, and had shown interest as recently as this past trade deadline.
Snell, 31, is a two-time Cy Young Award winner (2018,2023) and has been one of the best left-handed starters in the league since he made his debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016.
After winning the National League Cy Young Award with the San Diego Padres, Snell hit the open market looking for a multi-year contract that he and his agent, Scott Boras, would not find.
The 31-year-old lefty’s 2024 season can be a tale of two halves. During the Giants’ first half, Snell was a shell of himself, posting a then career-high 6.31 ERA and being placed on the 15-day injured list with a groin issue. However, once Snell returned, he was his old dominant self.
In the second half of the 2024 regular season, Snell posted a 1.45 ERA in 68.1 innings pitched. Despite having a one-year $38.5 million option for the 2025 season, Snell decided to bet on himself again and test the open market.
While Snell has struggled with walks his entire career, the lefty decreased his BB/9 from 5.0 in 2023 to 3.8 in 2024 while also increasing his K/9 from 11.7 to 12.5.
Regarding the interest in Burnes and Fried, it is the second time this past week that the two sides have been linked. Fellow MLB insider Jon Morosi reported that the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers are the current favorites to sign Corbin Burnes, who is projected to get a contract over $200 million.
Lastly, the same report from Ken Rosenthal states that despite the Dodgers shifting Mookie Betts to the infield full-time for the upcoming 2025 season, the Dodgers are not as heavily interested in top free agent shortstop Will Adames.
While the interest is still there due to Andrew Friedman’s connection with Adames, acquiring him via trade with the Detroit Tigers for right David Price in 2014, and the club’s recent interest the last two seasons, it is not necessarily the team plan this offseason.
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