Giants Will Pay Blake Snell While He Plays for Dodgers Due to Deferred Contract With SF

Blake Snell is set to receive simultaneous payments from two MLB franchises in 2026. Although Snell declined his player option with the Giants for 2025, his contract includes a stipulation that requires San Francisco to continue to pay Snell.

“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,” wrote Ronald Blum of AP News.

The $17 million signing bonus remains in effect despite Snell’s departure from the Giants. He will receive this payment in Jan. 2026. His two-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers also includes a $52 million signing bonus. Like other Dodgers, Snell will receive $65 million in deferred money as part of his contract.

The two-time Cy Young pitcher will receive an average annual salary of $36.4 million, which ranks fifth among all active MLB deals, according to AP News. Undoubtedly, fellow Dodgers teammate Shohei Ohtani leads the pack with an average salary of $70 million. The average salaries of Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler ($42 million), New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge ($40 million), and Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob DeGrom ($37 million) rank second through fourth.

After dominating on the mound in 2023 with the San Diego Padres, Snell elected free agency. Despite a standout season, the All-MLB First-Team selection did not sign a contract until a few weeks before Opening Day. 

But, this offseason was different. Snell inked a contract with Los Angeles exactly one month after claiming their eighth World Series title in franchise history. He will join Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow in a quartet of potential aces in the Dodgers rotation.

Photo Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

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