Apparently the Dodgers are tired of not having any starters until October; They will ensure that all of these innings are filled with as many quality players as they can find. There aren’t many more top players than Snell, who won the National League Cy Young with the Padres two years ago but may have been even better in the second half of 2024. The Dodgers just won the World Series, and they’ve already gotten better.

Snell, of course, had other admirers; Every team needs great starting pitching. And that means Snell agrees with the Dodgers, putting pressure on all sorts of other teams who now have to figure out how to respond after such a massive move. These clubs may have to resort to a battle for the other available top free agent army, namely Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Jack Flaherty, or they will now fight to trade White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet. Here are five local teams that are under pressure now that Snell is in Dodger Blue.

1. Giants
It makes perfect sense to start with the team Snell leaves. The Giants always knew that the contract they signed with Snell, even though it was full of opt-outs, could only be for one year, although one can understand that after he went 0 with a 6.31 ERA in the first game :3 took the lead in half of 2024 when they thought he could stick around for a while. His incredible second half, 5-0 with a 1.45 ERA, assured that he would sell his goods, and that’s especially disappointing because the Giants otherwise didn’t matter last season – it’s not like Snells campaign would have made a big difference.

The Giants now have Buster Posey at the helm, and it’s clearly a imperative for him to improve this team immediately. Without last year’s ace, things became much more difficult. Posey has to figure out how to keep this rotation going after losing his star pitcher to the Giants’ hated rival… on what is, frankly, already a pretty long to-do list.

2. Mets
The Mets have often been placed on Snell’s list of contenders out of default – at this point they’re expected to be on every major free agent. However, it seems more likely that the Mets follow their 2024 pitching strategy and find a slew of experienced innings eaters and see which ones stick. Last year, this strategy actually worked pretty well with Jose Quintana, Luis Severino and Sean Manaea, but those three guys are now free agents themselves and need to be replaced as well.

For a team with the same 2025 ambitions as the Mets, they have several gaping holes in the rotation. Snell would have filled one of them. Now they have to find someone else… in a market that just turned out to be more expensive than some might have thought.

3. Oriole
Here’s a pattern you’ll see throughout the offseason, at least until the Orioles themselves step up and break it: A free agent who could fill the need for a Baltimore signing, Orioles fans complain and openly wonder if their team that does too always They’ll make the aggressive move they’ve been waiting for, and Baltimore officials will tell everyone to be patient… and then another free agent will sign.

The Orioles are still bringing Burnes back, but Snell has made a lot of sense for them in many ways, a bona fide ace who has boosted the team’s overall upward trajectory – especially in the playoffs, which has proven to be the case for Baltimore in recent years have proven annoying. And if the Orioles not Bring Burnes back – who will have plenty of suitors himself – and it suddenly looks like this team is back to where it was a year ago. And the pattern will continue.

4. Phillies
No, the Phillies were never considered a suitor for Snell, and that’s understandable: One thing they probably don’t need is another experienced pitcher. (Of course, they wouldn’t have upset Snell if he had decided to come to Philly.) But they’re still a team full of guys in their 30s who desperately want to win a World Series before they all get too old to do so do, they just watched their closest NL rivals (who are also defending champions) sign one of the best pitchers in baseball.

It’s fair to say that Philly Snell would have loved to go to the American League, that’s for sure. The Phillies could still add this offseason, and you wonder if the Dodgers will put even more pressure on them to do so with Snell. The Phillies don’t have many shopping days left until Christmas; They need to win now, and the Dodgers have made it harder for them to achieve that.

5. Red Sox
They’re after everyone! That’s what we keep hearing about the Red Sox this offseason, that they should be considered serious contenders for any major free agent, and Red Sox fans can be forgiven for believing it when they see it . The Red Sox’ most obvious need is to start pitching – but if they go with Juan Soto, no one will complain much about that – and now there’s one less option on the board. And one that may have just pushed the market to surprisingly high levels. Mark Feinsand wrote last night that they’ve been focusing on Snell and will now likely have to target one of the other high-end lefties available.

Conclusion: The Red Sox haven’t done much like the Red Sox in recent years. Snell would have been a logical starting point to return to their old habits. They have to start somewhere else now…if they start at all.