Blake Snell's dual role with Clayton Kershaw, Bobby Miller earns Dodgers manager's vote of confidence 

One of the premier guys on the Los Angeles Dodgers starting rotation in 2025 is going to be Blake Snell. The two-time Cy Young winner signed with the club on a five-year, $182 million deal this offseason.

He is expected to lead the rotation which will likely include Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow, Bobby Miller and even Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw at some point in the season.

On Thursday while talking to reporters, manager Dave Roberts spoke highly of Snell. His craving to learn from one of the best and also be open to mentor young aces on the squad is what makes Roberts confident about him heading into the 2025 season.

The Dodgers manager spoke about his relationship with fellow veteran southpaw.

"I've had some really good conversations," Roberts said via SportsNet LA. "I think, up to this point, the best conversations I've had in spring have been with Blake. He's very in tune with who he is — as a person and as a pitcher. He's really eager to work and to watch Clayton — how Clayton goes about his work and how he's been so great for so long.

"For me, it's just about talking baseball with him, talking about hitters. He's in the cage watching hitters prepare, which I like. A lot of pitchers don’t do that as well," he added.

Dave Roberts likes Blake Snell's initiation to help Bobby Miller as a mentor

Going into the offseason, Blake Snell made sure to share his learnings with Bobby Miller, who is coming through the LA Dodgers ranks. When asked about it, Dave Roberts had nothing but praise for Snell's presence in the bullpen especially with young guns like Miller.

"It's gonna — I mean, I can't even — 'huge' doesn't even do it justice because Blake initiated this relationship," Roberts said of the bond between Miller and Snell. "I actually asked Blake myself, I said, 'How did that manifest?' And he just said, 'I see Bobby in myself.'

"He's never really done that with a player — to try to take him under his wing and mentor him. So that's exciting for all of us. Obviously, we know how talented Bobby is, but to have a peer, a guy who's won Cy Youngs, want to personally invest in him — I just think there's only great upside for both players and for the organization as a whole," he added.

It seems the mood in Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona has been a positive one to start with. With new guys like Blake Snell blending in well, the Dodgers will look to defend their World Series title in 2025.