Snell details ‘easy’ decision to join Dodgers after brief stint with Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Blake Snell wasted no time deciding which team he wanted to join in MLB free agency this offseason.
The former Giants ace, who signed a two-year, $62 million contract with San Francisco late last offseason, withdrew from the final year of his contract on November 1 and agreed to a $182 million contract over five years with the Los Angeles Dodgers shortly thereafter on November 26.
During Snell’s introductory news conference Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, reporters asked whether his decision to sign with Los Angeles was easy or difficult.
“It was really easy. Just because me and (girlfriend) Haeley Mar) wanted to live here, it’s something we’ve been talking about for a while,” Snell said. “Then you look at the team, what they’ve built, what they’re doing. It’s just something you want to be a part of. Look at the first three hitters in the lineup, they’re tough to face. So to be on the other side and know they’re going to hit for me, it’s pretty exciting.”
Snell signed with the Dodgers about three and a half months earlier than he signed with the Giants last offseason, and after a strong finish to his one and only campaign with San Francisco, he knew his deal would materialize much more quickly than the last. winter.
“I don’t know if (the last offseason) motivated me, it depends on the teams. Like last year, I would have liked to sign faster, but the teams weren’t interested at that time,” Snell explained. “It really depends on the teams, but for me, I was excited about what I did last year, signed that deal, and then coming into this free agency, I knew I was putting myself in a good position to sign early.
“With how aggressive Andrew (Friedman) and Brandon (Gomes) were, it made things pretty exciting pretty quickly, and I’m just happy we were able to do something and I’m really looking forward to being here for five years.”
Snell, much to the Giants’ dismay, will remain in the NL West and join a loaded Dodgers team fresh off a World Series championship.
“Being in Los Angeles, the pressure is always on,” Snell explained. “I love it…being able to throw in a crowded stadium. You can create moments for people, and that’s where you want to play. I don’t think there’s a better situation in which you can you find than being here.
Snell could face his former team for the first time, in front of a rowdy Dodger Stadium crowd, in mid-June, when the Giants travel south for their opening series against Los Angeles June 13-15.
