Sports
Dodgers agree to sign two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell
The Dodgers won the World Series last season in spite of their short-handed pitching.
Next year, they hope a reinforced staff can be the key to defending their title.
To that end, the Dodgers made a major move Tuesday night, agreeing to a five-year, $182-million contract with two-time Cy Young Award winning pitcher Blake Snell pending a physical, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.
The deal, which includes a $52-million signing bonus and some deferred money, was first signaled Tuesday night by Snell, who posted to Instagram a photoshopped image of himself in a Dodgers jersey. The caption read “LA” with an eyeballs emoji.
Suddenly, a year after the Dodgers added frontline arms Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow for more than $1 billion combined, their latest addition was clear. Once again, they had flung their wallet wide open. Once again, they had made a blockbuster addition to their starting rotation.
Snell, 31, has been one of the top left-handed pitchers in the game during his nine-year career. Though he has only once been an All-Star, the 6-foot-4 Seattle native won the American League Cy Young with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018, the National League Cy Young with the San Diego Padres in 2023, and has amassed a 3.19 ERA and 1,368 strikeouts over 211 career starts.
Originally drafted in the first round by Tampa Bay in 2011 — when Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ current president of baseball operations, was running the Rays’ front office — Snell has flashed some of the majors’ best stuff in the last decade.
He pairs his mid-90s fastball with a curveball, changeup and slider — all three of which registered whiff rates of 44% or higher last season. He has averaged 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings in his career, the highest mark in major league history. And he has a track record of postseason success, with a 3.33 ERA in 12 career playoff appearances.
Durability and consistency have been issues. Snell has pitched more than 130 innings only twice (eclipsing 180 in each of his two Cy Young seasons). And while he has posted a sub-3.40 ERA in a season five times, he has also suffered ERAs above 4.00 in three other seasons.
Still, when Snell is right, there are few better pitchers in the game.
And even though the Dodgers managed to piece together just enough on the mound in October to win a championship, they entered this offseason hoping to shore up their staff with an established, high-caliber arm exactly like him.
The Dodgers made a play for Snell late in his free agency last offseason, when his market failed to materialize as expected coming off his 2023 Cy Young in San Diego.
However, the Giants ultimately landed his services with a two-year, $62-million deal that included an opt-out this winter which Snell exercised.
Snell’s 2024 season didn’t begin well. He missed most of spring training after signing in mid-March. He had 9.51 ERA at the end of June, having made only six starts in the first three months because of multiple stints on the injured list. And at one point, he seemed likely to exercise his 2025 option, and try to rebuild his stock this coming year.
But then, Snell went on a tear during the second half, going 5-0 with an 1.23 ERA over his final 14 outings — including a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 2.
That run re-established Snell as one of the top arm’s on this year’s market, alongside Corbin Burnes and Max Fried. And it led to a signing Tuesday that, given the Dodgers’ flirtation with Snell last offseason, felt like a long time coming, even though the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees were reportedly making a push for Snell before he signed with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers, of course, hoped they had solved their pitching issues with their other offseason additions last year, when they signed Yamamoto to a record $325-million contract and traded for Glasnow and signed him to a $136.5-million extension (Ohtani was unable to pitch in 2024 while recovering from a Tommy John revision).
During the season, though, Yamamoto missed several months because of a shoulder injury, Glasnow was lost late in the year to an elbow injury and the rest of the Dodgers’ rotation crumbled around them, leaving the team with just three healthy starters — including trade deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty — entering the playoffs.
Thanks to a deep bullpen and potent lineup, it was still enough for the Dodgers to win the World Series.
But as the team looked ahead to next year, when it is expected to use a six-man rotation as Ohtani resumes pitching, the rotation became a clear need.
And Snell became the club’s most obvious target.
The Dodgers could still add more pitching this winter. Flaherty and Walker Buehler remain free agents, and have voiced their desire to stay with the team next year. Star Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki is also expected to sign with an MLB club in January, with the Dodgers seen as a likely landing spot for the 23-year-old flame-thrower.
But as it stands now, the Dodgers will have Ohtani, Yamamoto, Glasnow and now Snell headlining their rotation. They will have Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Bobby Miller and Clayton Kershaw (who is still expected to re-sign with the team) serving as depth. And they should have a greater margin for error in case more injuries arise, after making Snell the latest nine-figure pitching acquisition to their increasingly star-studded staff.
Sports
Golf star records lowest round in LPGA major history with astounding performance at Evian Championship
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There are good days on the golf course, and then there is what Haeran Ryu just did on Saturday.
Ryu, 25, recorded the lowest round in LPGA major history on Saturday with an 11-under 60 at the Evian Championship. With the South Korean golfer’s historic round, she holds a three-stroke lead.
Ryu’s round comes just two weeks after winning her first major at the Women’s PGA Championship. On the 18th hole, Ryu left a 30-foot eagle putt a few inches short, and instead settled for a birdie.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea reacts on the 18th green after the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
She said after the round that she had no idea what she had done until she counted up her scorecard.
“But after the putt and I counted my score with my caddie,” she said. “Oh my God, it’s 11-under par today. It was so amazing. My caddie says, ‘Yep.’ I’m so happy right now.”
If Ryu had made the eagle putt on the 18th hole, she would have been just the second player to shoot a 59 in LPGA history.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea celebrates a birdie on the 15th green during the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2026, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Her 60 broke the record for the lowest round in an LPGA major by one shot. Leona Maguire and Jeungeun Lee6 in 2021, and Hyo Joo Kim in 2014, each shot 61 at the Evian Championship, which was designated as an LPGA major in 2013.
The lowest round in a men’s major is 62, which is shared by four players — Branden Grace at Royal Birkdale in the 2017 British Open, Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler in the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, and Schauffele and Shane Lowry in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla.
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Haeran Ryu of South Korea and Lottie Woad of England interact after their round on the 18th green during the third round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, on July 11, 2026. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Ryu hopes her historic third round can help propel her to a second major win in three weeks.
“That is amazing, amazing dream,” Ryu said. “So I just want that one to come true, but we have one more day.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Taylor Crabb is no stranger to South California beaches. The Long Beach State alum returns home this weekend to compete in AVP League matches.
It marks the first time AVP will compete in Long Beach since 2020 and allows players to compete at the 2028 Olympics beach volleyball venue.
Crabb, 34, made his AVP debut in 2013 with his brother, Trevor, and advanced from the qualifier in Manhattan Beach before finishing 25th in his first tournament.
After years of competing with various different partners, Taylor Crabb and Andy Benesh have delivered the top performances this AVP season.
The following interview with Crabb has been edited for clarity and length.
Are you excited to compete in this weekend’s event at Long Beach?
Crabb: Very excited. A lot of my college teammates and part of the school have reached out, saying that they’re gonna come. So I’m excited to get a chance to play in front of them again.
When was the last time you were in Long Beach?
Crabb: I always try to go down there for alumni events or any big games they have. I went to UCLA against Long Beach last year, when it was No. 1 versus No. 2, so I always try to get down there and support them.
You missed out on the chance to compete in the 2020 Olympics because of COVID-19 restrictions and chose not to pursue a spot at the 2024 Olympics. Are you fired up to try to compete in the 2028 Olympics, knowing that Long Beach will host the competition?
Crabb: Yeah, it’s definitely an exciting time having the Olympics in Long Beach, and we kind of get to break it in this weekend. As you said, Tokyo didn’t go the way I wanted, but I’m going full force now. I have a great partner in Andy Benesh, who obviously went to the Paris Olympics, and if it weren’t for the Olympics being in Long Beach, and me getting a partner like Andy, I’m not even sure I’d be going for it, but because of those two things, I want to make the most of it.
You mentioned that if it wasn’t for a partner like Andy, you wouldn’t be going for it. What do you mean by that?
Crabb: I didn’t feel motivated by playing in all the international events, but now, I think, sitting out kind of lit the fire under me, and I’m really motivated now.
You’ve had different partners throughout your time. What other motivation does Andy give you?
Crabb: He’s been, in my mind, the top blocker for the U.S. the last four or five years. Seeing the professionalism he brings every day to practice, on and off the court, while traveling and when showing up to tournaments, it rubs off on you and that’s really motivating to see. And I just want to make him proud.
Why do you love volleyball?
Crabb: A lot of reasons, but it’s just a feeling I have when I’m out there on the court. It feels natural. It feels like home. I was born into a volleyball family. I had a volleyball in my hands my entire life, so I’ve always just enjoyed it.
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CM Punk appeared on “Friday Night SmackDown” ready to take on any challenger that was ready to step to him after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship against Sami Zayn.
Punk entered the ring in Oklahoma City and called back to the “Monday Night Raw” after WrestleMania 42 when he told Cody Rhodes he’d be ready to deliver if a championship opportunity fell “out of the sky.”
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Cody Rhodes and CM Punk face off during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
“When championship opportunities fall out of the sky, CM Punk catches them,” he said.
Punk named potential SmackDown superstars he’d think might come for the title, including Gunther, Finn Balor, Royce Keys, Damian Priest and Trick Williams. He even said that Zayn could come back around and get his rematch if he wanted. He didn’t mention Rhodes’ name, but the “American Nightmare” came out uncalled and marched his way down to the ring.
“I don’t think you and I can run away from each other anymore,” Punk told Rhodes.
Cody Rhodes looks on during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Craig Ambrosio/WWE via Getty Images)
Rhodes agreed and mentioned that Punk would want a match with him, just “say when.” It was a quick retort from Punk, who said, “when.” SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis, who was in the ring for the segment, booked the match for SummerSlam.
Punk will defend the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam, which takes place Aug. 1 and 2 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
First, however, Punk and Rhodes will be involved in a tag team match at Saturday Night’s Main Event in New York City next week. Aldis made the match after Gunther demanded that Aldis put him in a match against Punk. Gunther was hoping it would be for the championship. Instead, Gunther will tag with Zayn.
Gunther didn’t take too kindly to that and attacked Aldis. Rhodes came back out to break up the calamity. He wanted to take on Gunther after the show went off air but Gunther walked away.
Gunther makes his entrance during SmackDown at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on July 10, 2026. (Rich Wade/WWE via Getty Images)
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Punk definitely has his hands full as he moves to SmackDown to become a fighting champion.
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