LOS ANGELES — “Let’s be pigs,” Andrew Friedman said in the winter of 2020 when the Los Angeles Dodgers architect was freshly off a World Series victory and dreaming of going back-to-back. This time, it’s clear the Dodgers are operating with a bigger piggy bank as they set out in search of a repeat.
They flexed their might a year ago, committing more money in one offseason than any team ever. Then they won the World Series and signed Blake Snell — the two-time Cy Young Award winner officially introduced Tuesday, $182 million contract and all.
Dodgers blue hat in hand, with Friedman, general manager Brandon Gomes and agent Scott Boras by his side, Snell became the Dodgers’ latest galáctico, a symbol of what the organization has embraced over the last 12 months.
“You look at the team, you look at what they’ve built, what they’re doing, it’s just something you want to be a part of,” Snell said.
The Dodgers have long had as many, if not more resources than their opponents. They’ve long leveraged it. But never quite like this. A $1.4 billion offseason is now followed by an offseason defined by another 10-figure number. By signing Snell and Tommy Edman, the Dodgers now have more than $1 billion owed in deferred payments between 2028 and 2046 as part of this splurge.
Snell represented a notable target. Friedman, then with the Tampa Bay Rays, initially drafted Snell in the first round as a teen in 2011. This winter, Snell didn’t have a qualifying offer attached to him, separating him from some of the top starting options on the market. Snell’s skill set, emphasizing swing-and-miss with bursts of dominance, fit what the Dodgers value. It was Snell who held the Dodgers at bay early on the night they eventually won the 2020 World Series, and who had dominated them at every turn whenever they squared off. In 14 starts, Snell had a 2.62 ERA against his new team.
“You know the old adage, ‘If you can’t beat him, just have him join us.’” Friedman said with a grin.
Easier said than done. And easier done when you’re in the position the Dodgers appear to be in. Because the Dodgers going after Snell signals a new stage in this franchise’s run. The Dodgers’ current luxury tax figure by FanGraphs’ Roster Resource is projected at $305.2 million, clear of the highest competitive balance tax threshold — and they’re willing to keep going.
“From our standpoint, each and every year we’re trying to win,” Friedman said. “And it’s hard. What’s really difficult is to win. What’s even harder to do is repeat. And to a man, all the guys that we talked to, our players, coaching staff, everyone was of the mind, ‘Let’s run it back. Let’s do everything we can to be in a position to win.’ We feel like we’ve got a really talented team in place. So everything for us was centered around, ‘What can we do? What can we add to put ourselves in the best position to do that?’
“We’ve talked about, from a big-picture standpoint, a goal being that we want to look back on this period of time as the golden era of Dodgers baseball. That’s a high bar. And for us to continue to do everything we can to win is really important.”
The Dodgers’ television deal and its stability have long elevated the franchise’s level of spending, even more so given the state of television rights among multiple other clubs in the sport. Winning the World Series certainly brings in its share of revenue, and the Dodgers similarly tried to spend after their last World Series title in 2020 in an effort to repeat. Then there are the countless other revenue streams tied to Shohei Ohtani, last winter’s star acquisition. Friedman said the revenues brought in from Japan with the signing of Ohtani (and Yoshinobu Yamamoto) exceeded expectations.
“Our business is very healthy,” Friedman said. While he said the Dodgers would be in a position to get a deal done with Snell regardless of those revenues, they aren’t nothing. “We have a lot of different revenue sources. More than anything, we are investing it aggressively and we feel a real obligation to our fans. The passion that they show us, we feel a real pressure to deliver for them.”
As Snell spoke, the signs of a change were forming around him. Massive renovations are underway at Dodger Stadium to reshape the home and visiting clubhouses, the latest flourish in what the Dodgers hope is the defining era of the franchise.
The team’s last decade was defined by smashing regular-season successes, and now two World Series titles in five years. The Dodgers’ sights appear even higher, bolstered by a 31-year-old left-hander who, for the second consecutive summer, put together a prolific second half to establish himself as one of the most electrifying arms in the sport.
Snell wants a shot at a World Series ring, too.
“I’ve been there, but I’ve failed,” he said. “They’ve been there. They succeeded. So being able to see what that’s like, hearing from them, and then also, you know, hopefully helping with just the hunger of wanting to do this every year, to win a World Series. That’s why we all play. It’s what makes the offseason worth it, is to get to the playoffs. It’s what makes all season worth it.”
It’s the same recruiting pitch that landed Ohtani and Yamamoto a year ago, with a promise of more to come. It’s the same pitch the Dodgers have given to the Snells and the Juan Sotos. The spending doesn’t seem like it’s ending anytime soon.
“I think with the position we’re in right now and the success we’ve had it puts us in position to be even more aggressive,” Friedman said.
That’s scary for everyone else.
(Top photo of Blake Snell: Harry How / Getty Images)
