LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers¡¯ priority this winter was to add an ace to their starting rotation. They introduced their latest star on Tuesday.

After signing a five-year, $182 million deal with the World Series champions, two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell made his way to Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, putting on the team¡¯s uniform for the first time on the eve of his 32nd birthday.

Before Snell signed a two-year, $62 million deal with the Giants with an opt-out clause in March, the Dodgers were one of the teams to make a last-minute effort to acquire the star left-hander. Los Angeles checked in on Snell again before the Trade Deadline as San Francisco fell out of postseason contention.

Since then, the Dodgers identified Snell as their top target this winter. The two sides engaged in discussions once free agency opened. The deal features a hefty $52 million signing bonus and includes deferred money, something that has become more common throughout the game, especially with the Dodgers.

¡°Starting in the winter, in our internal meetings, as we were talking about ways that we could put ourselves in the best position to win a World Series in 2025, all conversations kept coming back to Blake,¡± said Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. ¡°I¡¯ve known him since he was 18 years old, and to watch his journey, watch the incredible success that he¡¯s had, has been really special.¡±

By joining Los Angeles, Snell is reunited with Friedman, who was the executive vice president of baseball operations for the Rays when the lefty was drafted in the first round by Tampa Bay in 2011.

¡°You know the old adage, ¡®If you can¡¯t beat him, just have him join us,'¡± Friedman said. ¡°We couldn¡¯t beat him, so we¡¯re going to have him join us in helping us win a World Series next year and into the future.¡±

Snell joins a starting rotation that will feature Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers look to add another starter this winter, with Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki among the many targets. It¡¯s a starting rotation that is expected to be much improved from last season.

Since the 2018 season, not many pitchers have been more dominant at times than Snell.

The left-hander reached free agency for the first time a year ago after posting an MLB-leading 2.25 ERA with 234 strikeouts over 180 innings as a member of the Padres in 2023. He was recognized as the National League¡¯s top arm, earning his second career Cy Young Award and becoming just the seventh pitcher in Major League history to win the award in both leagues. He also won with the Rays in 2018.

Snell¡¯s 11.2 career strikeouts per nine innings is the highest in MLB history.

¡°It was really easy,¡± Snell said of the decision. ¡°And then you look at the team, you look at what they¡¯ve built, what they¡¯re doing, it¡¯s just something you want to be a part of. Look at the three first hitters in the lineup. It¡¯s tough to go against. So to be on the other side and know they¡¯re going to be hitting for me, it¡¯s pretty exciting.¡±

After signing well into March and feeling rushed to start the season, Snell struggled at the start of 2024. Without a regular Spring Training buildup, Snell posted a 9.51 ERA over his first six starts and made two trips to the injured list.

But once he got a proper buildup following his second IL stint, Snell dominated on the mound. He put together a remarkable stretch with a 1.23 ERA and 114 strikeouts, 30 walks and a .123 opponent batting average in 80 1/3 innings over his final 14 starts.

His season peaked on Aug. 2, when he struck out 11 in a no-hitter against the Reds that was also the first complete game of his career.

¡°I think the first half this year, I learned a lot, was trying to push through some things to see where I was, trying to get better, and failed,¡± Snell said. ¡°And from that point moving forward, it really helped me, like I [took] a little more time and started to feel a certain way. And once I get into a rhythm, usually, when I get in the rhythm, I can really take that into the rest of the season.¡±

Perhaps most importantly for Los Angeles, Snell has proven that his stuff plays in October. Snell¡¯s most famous postseason start came against the Dodgers in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series, when he was pulled after 5 1/3 dominant innings. The Dodgers rallied for a 3-1 victory, once Snell came out of the game, en route to their first title since 1988.

Now, with Snell in the mix, the Dodgers put themselves in position to become the first repeat World Series champions in more than two decades.

¡°We feel like we¡¯ve got a really talented team in place,¡± Friedman said. ¡°So everything for us was centered around, ¡®What can we do? What can we add to put ourselves in the best position to do that?¡¯ And we¡¯ve talked about, from a big-picture standpoint, a goal being that we want to look back on this period of time as the golden era of Dodgers baseball. That¡¯s a high bar. And adding someone with Blake¡¯s ability -- the compete, what he¡¯ll bring to our staff -- we felt like [it] was an incredibly impactful move in that.¡±