Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell was officially introduced as the newest member of the Dodgers during a brief press conference on Tuesday.
The southpaw endured an offseason much longer than anticipated last year, which resulted in him signing with the San Francisco Giants in the midst of spring training. After posting a 9.51 ERA over his first six starts, Snell went a perfect 5-0 with a spectacular 1.23 ERA over his last 14 starts of the season. Not wanting to wait to earn a handsome contract, Snell and the Dodgers agreed to a five-year deal worth $182 million on Saturday.
Snell will now join a rotation that features All-Stars Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow, along with sophomore Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but Snell is most excited to learn from Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw, per David Vassegh of KLAC AM 570.
“I can’t wait. I was telling Andrew I need my locker next to his. 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. There’s just a player that I can continue to grow and develop to be is so exciting, and to learn from a guy like that, you can’t ask for more.”
“I told Andrew I need my locker next to Kershaw.”
Blake Snell is excited to be able to learn from Clayton Kershaw
( : @THEREAL_DV) pic.twitter.com/cDXrdJJ9Z0
— AM 570 LA Sports (@AM570LASports) December 4, 2024
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Mookie Betts was named the postseason MVP by New York baseball writers, while Freddie Freeman and his family will be receiving the Arthur and Milton Richman You Gotta Have Heart Award, per the Associated Press.
After going hitless in Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS, extending his postseason hitless streak to 22 at-bats, Betts slashed .321/.394/.625 with four home runs, 16 RBIs, five doubles, and 13 runs scored the rest of the postseason en route to his third championship. Freeman dealt with adversity on and off the field, but ultimately ended it in the best way possible by winning the 2024 World Series MVP.
Third baseman Max Muncy appeared on the Foul Territory podcast, where he was asked by host Scott Braun to share his thoughts regarding the disdain opposing fans have towards the Dodgers’ exorbitant spending habits, especially after the Snell signing and the extension handed to Tommy Edman.
“Every single one of these teams is making money. I don’t care what anyone says. I don’t care what kind of book they show you to try to prove their point— they’re all making money. They all get a huge revenue share check from MLB every single year… In our case, our owners look at it and they’re spending money, and because of that, they’re making more money. It’s one of those things where that kind of just seems like an easy business model.”