Less than a month after winning the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers are spending big again to add one of baseball's best pitchers to their star-studded roster.
Blake Snell and the Dodgers agreed to a $182 million, five-year contract, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the deal is subject to a successful physical.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner broke the news personally by posting a photo of himself on social media in a Dodgers uniform — No. 7.
Snell would join two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and fellow Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto atop Los Angeles' rotation, giving the Dodgers the first mega deal of this offseason following Ohtani's $700 million, 10-year contract and Yamamoto's $325 million, 12-year deal last winter.
Ohtani didn't pitch this year while recovering from right elbow surgery but is expected back on the mound in 2025. He won his third MVP award — first in the National League — following a huge season at the plate exclusively as a designated hitter.
Yamamoto went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts as a rookie, then won twice in four October outings.
Down to three healthy starting pitchers during the postseason, Los Angeles overcame a string of injuries to its projected rotation in winning the franchise's second World Series title in five years.
Right-handers Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler then became free agents this fall, creating more voids on the staff. But the addition of Snell would fill a large one at the top with a legitimate ace.
Snell's $36.4 million average salary would rank as the fifth-highest among active deals next year behind Ohtani ($70 million), Philadelphia pitcher Zack Wheeler ($42 million), New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge ($40 million) and Texas pitcher Jacob deGrom ($37 million). Among expired contracts, it also was exceeded by pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander (both $43.33 million) under deals they agreed to with the New York Mets.
ESPN first reported the details of Snell's contract.
Earlier this month, Snell opted out of his deal with San Francisco to become a free agent for the second consecutive offseason after he was slowed by injuries during his lone year with the Giants.
The left-hander agreed in March to a $62 million, two-year contract that included a $17 million signing bonus payable on Jan. 15, 2026, a $15 million salary for 2024 and a $30 million salary for 2025, of which $15 million would have been deferred and payable on July 1, 2027.
Snell, who turns 32 next week, went 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 20 starts this year, throwing a no-hitter at Cincinnati on Aug. 2 for one of only 16 individual shutouts in the major leagues this season. He struck out 145 and walked 44 in 104 innings.
He was sidelined between April 19 and May 22 by a strained left adductor and between June 2 and July 9 by a strained left groin.
Snell won Cy Young Awards in 2018 with Tampa Bay and 2023 with San Diego. He is 76-58 with a 3.19 ERA in nine seasons with the Rays (2016-20), Padres (2021-23) and Giants.
Because he turned down a qualifying offer from San Diego last November, the Giants were not eligible to give Snell another one and won’t receive draft-pick compensation.
Los Angeles expects All-Star right-hander Tyler Glasnow and three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw back in the rotation next year. Other starting candidates if healthy include right-handers Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and Bobby Miller.
Ohtani is coming off right elbow surgery in September 2023 and left shoulder surgery on Nov. 5.
Glasnow didn’t pitch after Aug. 11 because of right elbow tendinitis.
Kershaw, who turns 37 in March, had foot and knee surgeries on Nov. 7. He declined a $10 million player option in favor of free agency, but is expected to return to Los Angeles.
May is coming back from Tommy John surgery in July 2023 and for an operation this past July to repair a tear in his esophagus.
Gonsolin spent 2024 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Miller, an 11-game winner as a rookie in 2023, was sidelined early this season by shoulder inflammation. He struggled to a 2-4 record with an 8.52 ERA in 13 big league starts and ended the regular season in the minors.
Yamamoto was sidelined by right triceps tightness between June 15 and Sept. 10, then returned and went 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in four postseason starts to cap the first season of his $325 million contract.
AP Baseball Writers Janie McCauley and Mike Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
FILE - San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sept. 17, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)
FILE - San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell works against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Aug. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A prominent Bangladeshi Hindu leader who has been leading rallies demanding security for Hindus in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation was ordered detained on charges of sedition Tuesday.
The magistrate court of Kazi Shariful Islam denied bail to Krishna Das Prabhu and ordered him detained pending further proceedings.
One lawyer was killed and scores were injured after clashes broke out following Tuesday's court order.
As police attempted to transport the Hindu leader to jail, hundreds of his supporters surrounded the van carrying him, forcing it to stop for over an hour before security officials fired teargas to disperse the crowd. Protesters threw stones at police during a brief confrontation, before the way was cleared and Prabhu was taken to jail.
As the tension grew, live TV showed dozens of Muslims joining the security officials, chasing Hindu protesters and throwing stones at them.
The United News of Bangladesh news agency quoted a police official as saying that lawyer Saiful Islam Alif was hacked to death during the melee. Some reports blamed the Hindu protesters for the killing, but details were sketchy.
Hindus and members of other minority groups say they have faced more attacks than ever since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country amid a mass uprising in August and an interim government took over. The government says the threat to Hindus has been exaggerated.
Around 91% of Bangladesh’s population is Muslim, with Hindus making up almost all of the rest.
Prabhu, also known as Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, faces charges of sedition filed in October after he led a huge rally in Chattogram in which he was accused of disrespecting Bangladesh’s national flag.
He was arrested in Dhaka’s main airport on Monday while traveling to Chattogram in southeastern Bangladesh.
Kushal Baran Chakrabarty, who was accompanying Prabhu at the time of his arrest, said that several detectives took the Hindu leader to a police car at the airport.
“Chinmoy Prabhu gave his phone to me as he was forcefully taken to the police car. The police detectives jostled with us to forcefully take his phone and they took it away. We then followed the police car that headed for the headquarters of the Detective Branch at Minto Road in Dhaka,” he said. “We stayed outside the Detective Branch’s office.”
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, an umbrella organization of the country's minority groups, denounced the arrest of Prabhu in a statement and demanded his release.
India's Ministry of External Affairs expressed “deep concern” in a statement on Tuesday.
“This incident follows the multiple attacks on Hindus and other minorities by extremist elements in Bangladesh. There are several documented cases of arson and looting of minorities’ homes and business establishments, as well as theft and vandalism and desecration of deities and temples,” the statement said.
It also condemned attacks on peaceful protests by Hindus.
“We urge Bangladesh authorities to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all minorities, including their right of freedom of peaceful assembly and expression,” the ministry wrote.
Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday night criticized the reaction by India, saying that the issue was the “internal affairs” of Bangladesh.
“It is with utter dismay and deep sense of hurt that the government of Bangladesh notes that the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das has been misconstrued by certain quarters since Chinmoy Krishna Das has been arrested on specific charges,” its statement said.
Bangladesh also said that India's statement misrepresents facts and contradicts the spirit of friendship and understanding between the neighboring countries.
Also, India's statement does not reflect the harmony that exists among the peoples of all faiths and the commitment and the efforts of the government and the people in this regard, said the statement by Bangladesh.
Prabhu faces charges of sedition filed in October after he led a huge rally in Chattogram in which he was accused of disrespecting Bangladesh’s national flag. Dhaka-based leading Prothom Alo daily reported that Prabhu would be produced before a court on Tuesday, and that two other people have been arrested in the case.
On Tuesday, the Hindu leader was brought before the magistrate court of Kazi Shariful Islam in southeastern city of Chattogram, the United News of Bangladesh agency reported. The court was packed and dozens of lawyers stood for him to seek bail.
Since August, Prabhu has led several large rallies demanding safety for the Hindus, as the interim government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus said reports of attacks have been exaggerated.
Many in the interim government see the rallies by Hindus as a threat to stability and a ploy to rehabilitate Hasina and her Awami League party.
The long-ruling secular party is seen as a protector of the Hindu minority and has close ties to neighboring India. Hundreds of Hasina’s supporters, including many close aides, are believed to have fled to India after her fall.
Prabhu is a prominent Hindu leader and a respected figure. He is a member of the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatan Jagaran Jote group. He is also associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, widely known as the Hare Krishna movement, and acts as a spokesman for the group in Bangladesh.
On Tuesday, authorities in Dhaka and Chattogram deployed paramilitary border guards, apparently to avert any violence.
Prabhu's followers took to the streets in Chattogram and Dhaka to demand his release on Monday.
In Dhaka, a mob armed with sticks attacked Hindu protesters on Monday night at Shahbagh intersection near the Dhaka University.
Kalbela, a Bengali-language daily, said in a video report on Monday night that the attackers drove the Hindu protesters away from the area.
Hasina fled the country on Aug. 5 after a student-led protest morphed into a mass uprising, ending her 15-year rule. The country's security agencies are struggling to keep order as the police agencies remained demoralized after dozens of their members were killed during the mass uprising in July and August.
Bangladeshi Hindu leader Krishna Das Prabhu shows a victory sign as he is taken in a police van after court ordered him detained pending further proceedings in Chattogram in southeastern Bangladesh, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP photo)
Supporters of Bangladeshi Hindu leader Krishna Das Prabhu surround the van carrying the leader after court ordered him detained pending further proceedings in Chattogram in southeastern Bangladesh, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP photo)
Policemen charge baton to disperse the supporters of Bangladeshi Hindu leader Krishna Das Prabhu after they surrounded police van carrying their leader at the court premises, in Chattogram in southeastern Bangladesh, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP photo)
Bangladeshi Hindu leader Krishna Das Prabhu shows a victory sign as he is taken in a police van after court ordered him detained pending further proceedings in Chattogram in southeastern Bangladesh, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP photo)
