When the Los Angeles Dodgers added another ace to their rotation in free-agent pitcher Blake Snell, he made a request. Snell told president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman that he wanted his locker to be next to Clayton Kershaw.

“I can barely wait for it. I told Andrew I needed my locker next to his,” Snell told AM 570 LA Sports. “He’s just done so many amazing things in his career. So I’m really excited that I’m talking to him, picking his brain and learning from all his experiences. Learning from a guy like that means you can do it. “I don’t ask for anything more.

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Just before Thanksgiving, Snell signed a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers. At his opening press conference at Dodger Stadium, Snell was all smiles. It was obvious the ace was excited to join the reigning World Series champions.

After seeing Snell as an opponent for so long, the left-hander will be wearing Dodger blue for the next five seasons. He will be teammates with arguably one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history in Kershaw.

After stints with the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, Snell toured the National League West. Instead of facing a star-studded Los Angeles team, Snell will rely on the Dodgers’ bats when he takes the mound at Chavez Ravine.

“It’s just something you want to be a part of,” Snell said of joining the Dodgers.
“Look at the first three batters in the lineup, they’re tough to play against. So to be on the other side and know they’re going to bat for me… yeah, pretty exciting.”

Snell won’t be the only ace in the Dodgers’ rotation. Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will also be there. After the injury-plagued pitching staff in 2024, the Dodgers have learned that a team can never have enough pitchers.

Like Kershaw, Snell has the same ambitions to eventually hang up his jersey and retire as a Dodger.

“This is where you want to play,” he said. “The goal is to end it here.”

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