The Rich Get Richer: Snell Staked Comment Adds Fuel to Dodgers Dynasty
The Los Angeles Dodgers spent over one billion dollars last offseason and won the World Series. With Shohei Ohtani winning his third MVP, Freddie Freeman having a historic World Series, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto becoming a star, they are set up for another fantastic season. And then the Dodgers went and added Blake Snell in free agency. The pitcher had his introductory press conference and called his new team stacked, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
“I mean, this team is stacked….I don’t think there’s a better situation than being right here.,” Snell said, per Nightengale.
The Dodgers got better by adding Snell, which felt impossible after they vanquished the Yankees in the World Series. Snell joins a rotation with Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Shohei Ohtani. Clayton Kershaw is expected to return to the team in free agency.
That rotation would be the best in the league but after a season full of injuries, they could use the depth. Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, and Landon Knack will be important players next season. With Walker Buehler expected to leave, the Dodgers will rely on these young pitchers.
Snell won the Cy Young with the San Diego Padres in 2023 but could not get a long-term deal. After a solid season with the Giants last year, he got a five-year deal with the Dodgers. What does it mean for the NL West moving forward?
The Dodgers set to dominate the regular season
Last season, the Dodgers had a mid-season swoon that brought their NL West lead down to three games. They went 18-10 down the stretch to win the division by five games. Even with a great season from the Padres, it was never a true race in the division. Now add another Cy Young-caliber pitcher and it becomes an even bigger gap.
The Dodgers also took Snell from the Giants, who finished fourth in the NL West last season. Down in San Diego, the Padres are looking to improve after losing to LA in the NLDS. While they were arguably the second-best team in the NL, they need to improve drastically just to win their own division.
With the five pitchers they are set to roll out, the Dodgers will be favorites for the World Series again. The lineup is phenomenal as well and NLCS MVP Tommy Edman is sticking around to help out. Even if Teoscar Hernandez leaves, the Dodgers will still have pop in their lineup.
