Snell’s Shocking Demand: What the Dodgers Ace Asked of Andrew Friedman After Signing
When the Los Angeles Dodgers added another ace to their rotation in free agent pitcher Blake Snell, he made one request. Snell told president of baseball operation Andrew Friedman that he wanted his locker to be next to Clayton Kershaw.
“I can’t wait. I was telling Andrew I need my locker next to his,” Snell told AM 570 LA Sports. “He’s just done so many amazing things in his career. So for me to talk to him, pick his brain, learn from all his experience, I’m really excited. To learn from a guy like that is, I mean, you can’t ask for more.”
Snell signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the Dodgers right before Thanksgiving. In his introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium, Snell was all smiles. It was evident the ace was ecstatic to join the reigning World Series champions.
After viewing Snell as opposition for so long, the left-hander will be donning Dodger blue for the next five seasons. He will be teammates with arguably one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history in Kershaw.
Snell toured the National League West after stints with both the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. Instead of facing a star-studded Los Angeles lineup, Snell will have the Dodgers bats to back him up when he takes the mound at Chavez Ravine.
“It’s just something you want to be part of,” Snell said of joining the Dodgers.
“Look at the first three hitters in the lineup, it’s tough to go against. So to be on the other side and know they’re going to be hitting for me… yeah, pretty exciting.”
Snell won’t be the only ace in the Dodgers rotation. Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will also be in the mix. After the 2024 injury-ridden pitching staff, the Dodgers learned a team can never have enough pitchers.
Like Kershaw, Snell has the same aspirations to eventually hang up his jersey and retire as a Dodger.
“This is where you want to play,” he said. “The goal is to end it here.”
