With Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the rearview mirror, much to the chagrin of the Giants, San Francisco will now turn its focus to its remaining free agent targets.
Who would that be? Now, current National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell seems like the next obvious target.
Or is it?
Here’s why pursuing Snell may or may not make sense for the Giants.
why is it meaningful
Snell started the 2023 offseason on a high note. proven He is a free agent pitcher on the market and remains available due to Ohtani and Yamamoto’s respective free agency stagnation.
The 31-year-old is a two-time Cy Young Award winner who just finished a dominant 2023 season with the San Diego Padres, going 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA and 234 strikeouts in 180 innings pitched. I left a mark.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said the team is considering adding a top starter in the rotation to pair with ace Logan Webb, and Snell is the only free agent who fits the bill. remains as.
He’s a certified ace and would give the Giants an elite one-two punch at the top of the rotation after Snell and Webb finished first and second in the Cy Young Award last season, respectively.
Snell also played for current Giants manager Bob Melvin in San Diego. Given his familiarity, plus Oracle Park’s pitcher-friendly restrictions and the Giants’ desperation for a big move, this is a very obvious fit.
Why isn’t that the case?
The biggest knock against Snell is his command. Last season, he had 99 walks, the most of any MLB pitcher, which was 30 more than the next-highest single-season total over his eight-year MLB career.
Still, he won the Cy Young Award.
Despite posting a very impressive 2.25 ERA, Snell finished the season with a FIP (fielding independent of pitching) of 3.44, indicating a return to the mean is on the way. there is a possibility.
Given how dominant Snell was in 2023 and how good a pitcher he should continue to be, he doesn’t fit the typical mold of a Giants free agent pitcher. do not have.
Super agent Scott Boras, who represents Snell, could push his client to get him a contract this offseason that would be the highest average annual salary for a free agent pitcher, surpassing Yamamoto’s mark of $27 million a season. Highly sexual.
That shouldn’t be a problem for the Giants at all. San Francisco has enough financial flexibility to pay multiple high-AAV contracts. However, the problem is likely to be the contract period.
The Giants have made their philosophy regarding free agent pitching clear over the years. For Snell, 31, a contract longer than four or five years goes against the Giants’ essence.
This philosophy allowed the Giants to avoid the disastrous signing of Carlos Rodon last offseason, but they slipped through Kevin Guzman two years ago, likely under Zaidi’s administration. This allowed him to avoid what could be considered the Giants’ biggest mistake in the deal.
What path will signing Snell take for them?
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