Blake Snell Free Agency: NL powerhouse reportedly 'interested' in reigning Cy Young Award winner
Blake Snell is coming off a stellar season with the San Diego Padres. He appeared in 32 games, compiling a 14-9 record with a league-leading 2.25 ERA on 180 innings pitched. It led to the second Cy Young Award of his career.
Snell is now a free agent and has drawn interest from multiple teams around the league. One of these teams includes the Philadelphia Phillies, who just re-signed Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million deal.
Pairing Snell with Nola and Zack Wheeler would be a fearsome starting rotation. These three would cause problems for other teams in a postseason series.
However, the Phillies will have a tough time landing Snell. Snell is one of the top-rated pitchers in the open market, and multiple teams have shown their interest, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.
A concern that teams should keep in mind when trying to land Blake Snell is his command issue and workload. He walked a league-leading 99 batters in 2023 and is coming off two seasons of throwing over 180 innings.
What other teams are attractive suitors for Blake Snell?
You cannot rule out the San Diego Padres from re-signing Blake Snell. Snell, Michael Wacha, and Seth Lugo are free agents, and the Cincinnati Reds have already picked up Nick Martinez. The Padres are dangling Juan Soto in trade talks, and trading him could take $30 million off their payroll to use elsewhere.
The Dodgers could make for an excellent fit for Snell. They are looking to revamp their depleted rotation. The Dodgers only have one starter on their roster who threw over 100 innings in 2023. Snell will likely want to play for a contender, and the Dodgers are just that. Also, he would not have to make that big of a move if he were to sign with Los Angeles.
The San Francisco Giants also look like an attractive suitor for Snell. They hired former Padres manager Bob Melvin in the offseason, and Melvin knows just how good Snell can be. Snell threw 18 scoreless innings against the Giants last season.
However, Snell has stated that he would love to pitch for the Seattle Mariners. He is from Seattle and would love to play for his hometown team.
With multiple options, seeing where Snell chooses to sign within the next few months will be interesting.