LYNNWOOD, Wash. — On a Friday night in suburban Seattle, Blake Snell leans up against the edge of his bed, where his Louis Vuitton suitcase sits wide open, and hugs his 5 1/2-year-old chocolate Labrador.



“I can’t believe we’re headed back to Florida this early,” Snell says to Junior, who goes by “June” for short.



It’s 12 hours before Snell plans to travel cross-country to begin preparing for the 2020 MLB season. The 27-year-old Rays pitcher is returning to Florida exactly a month before pitchers and catchers report Feb. 12 for the beginning of spring training. This marks the earliest arrival to camp in Snell’s career. He typically shows up to Port Charlotte only a day or two before the mandatory check-in date.



The Pacific Northwest has always been home for Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner, but with unfinished business on his mind, this time he’s eager to depart. Following a disappointing...