Blake Snell Takes Slight Shot at Padres While Talking About Current Dodgers

One by one, the Los Angeles Dodgers rolled out one of the most talented pitching staffs in Major League Baseball on Tuesday at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.

In the middle of it all was former San Diego Padres ace Blake Snell.

Snell, who has been waiting for his opportunity to join the Dodgers, appear to deliever a slight shot at his former team while talking about the current Dodgers roster.

“That tells you how many starters we have in here," Snell said. “It’s crazy how good we’re going to be. I can’t wait to see what we really have.

“I thought when I was in San Diego in ’22 that was the best team I’ve played on, but not like this."

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Unfortunately for San Diego, this team Snell is referring to doesn't even feature Shohei Ohtani or Clayton Kershaw in the rotation. Both are recovering from injuries and aren't expected to pitch during Cactus League games.

Ohtani will remain the designated hitter for now, and once he’s ready to resume pitching, he’ll have more rest days than before. Last season, he missed only three games. He's also not going to any bases.

The one addition to the Dodgers rotation that stings the most for the Padres is Roki Sasaki, who is armed with a 102-mph fastball, a splitter that ranks among the best in baseball, and the talent to become a marquee star.

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“Oh my gosh," Dodgers veteran catcher Austin Barnes said after catching his bullpen session. “The fastball is a big fastball, it has a lot of carry and ride to it. The ball jumps at you.

“And the split-finger is different. I’ve never seen a pitch like that before. It’s hard to catch sometimes, it tumbles a lot, it moves all over the place. It goes in different directions.

“A crazy talent. It’s exciting to see what he’s going to do."

Sasaki posted a 10-5 record with a 2.35 ERA over 18 starts last season for the Chiba Lotte Marines, racking up 129 strikeouts in 111 innings. Despite his success, he sees plenty of room for improvement.

“My fastball and splitter are sort of the faces of my arsenal," he said, “and they weren’t initially as their best last year. So, I want to focus on just getting those back to their best and then mixing in the slider that will expand my repertoire as I go."

Fortunately for the Padres, they only have to face the defending World Series champions once this spring. The two teams won't see each other again until June.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.