"Shohei Ohtani likes to pitch in a 6-man rotation" - MLB insider assesses Blake Snell's fit with Dodgers alongside Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto

On Tuesday, Blake Snell became the biggest free agent signing of this off-season so far after joining the Los Angeles Dodgers on a five-year, $182 million deal. MLB insider Jim Bowden believes the Dodgers added the lefty to join Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in their starting rotation so they can accommodate Shohei Ohtani, who prefers to take the mound every sixth day.

The Dodgers acquired Ohtani, Glasnow and Yamamoto last offseason. However, Ohtani was unable to pitch this season while Yamamoto spent a long period on the injured list and Glasnow missed the entire postseason. Snell will add extra depth to the Dodgers rotation, giving them another top-notch starting pitcher for the playoffs.

Bowden offered his thoughts on how the Dodgers will be looking to shape up their starting rotation for next season during an appearance for CBS Sports on Tuesday.

"I think it's a great fit when you're talking [about having] Ohtani, Yamamoto, Snell, and Glasnow [in the rotation]," he said (0:00 onwards). "We'll see if they are able to bring Walker Buehler back or not. Of course, he's a free agent as well. They are going to get Clayton Kershaw back from injury. And they are hoping to get Tony Gonsolin back and Dustin May back. And they're hoping Bobby Miller develops.

"But the one thing that Andrew Friedman and Brandon Gomes, who run their baseball operations, learned this year [is] you can never get enough pitching," he added. "Also, when you're preparing for Ohtani, remember he likes to pitch on a six-man rotation. So, the Dodgers know they've got to get as much depth as possible. By the way, they're not done."

Among all qualified pitchers, Snell holds the best strikeout rate of all time in MLB, averaging 11.9 punchouts per nine innings over his career. However, he is not considered to be particularly durable. Bowden believes that does not bother the Dodgers as they want their top starting pitchers to be fresh at the start of the postseason.

Jim Bowden on why the Dodgers signed Blake Snell

Blake Snell enjoyed an excellent second half to the season (Photo Credit: Imagn)

Blake Snell made his major league debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016 and went on to claim the AL Cy Young Award just two years later at the age of 25. He was traded to the San Diego Padres at the start of the 2021 campaign and declared himself a free agent at the end of the 2023 season after winning the NL Cy Young Award.

However, Snell remained unsigned throughout his free agency until he was offered a two-year, $62 million contract in April by the San Francisco Giants with an opt-out. The southpaw had a miserable start before going into the IL in May. He made his full comeback two months later and was outstanding for the Giants in the second half of the campaign.

"The Dodgers really have been focusing on trying to improve that starting rotation," Jim Bowden said. "They had some questions last year and so many injuries. And they loved what they saw with Blake Snell down the stretch. Remember, for his last 14 starts he posted a 1.23 ERA. That was the best in baseball over that time span.

"The year before he won the Cy Young," he added. "The one thing we know is, when he's healthy, he's dominant."

On August 2, Blake Snell threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds, which incidentally is the only complete game of his major league career.