Before San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell threw a no-hitter on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds, he was one of the most popular names in MLB trade rumors. Now a few days past the MLB trade deadline, it’s become clear why San Francisco kept him.
Snell, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, had an awful start to his Giants’ tenure. After struggling to find the right deal in MLB free agency, the 31-year-old settled for a two-year, $62 million contract with San Francisco before Opening Day. Prior to July 1, the 6-foot-4 southpaw held a 9.51 ERA with more stints on the injured list (two) than wins (zero) in his first 6 starts.
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- Blake Snell contract ( Spotrac ): $23.5 million salary in 2024, $38.5 million club option for 2025
He’s looked like a two-time Cy Young Award winner ever since. After coming off the IL in July, Snell holds a 0.55 ERA with a 41-10 K-BB ratio and a 36.3 percent strikeout rate in his last 5 starts. He was highly coveted ahead of the MLB trade deadline, before throwing his no-hitter on Friday, but teams balked at the asking price to acquire him.
- Blake Snell stats ( FanGraphs ): 4.29 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, .193 batting average allowed, 31% strikeout rate, 10.3% walk rate, 20.7% K-BB rate in 56.2 innings pitched
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According to the New York Post ‘s Jon Heyman, the Giants wanted both a consensus top-100 prospect and for the acquiring team to also take on the entire responsibility for Snell’s contract.
Not only would that mean adding more than $10 million in payroll for the remainder of the season, but any team that landed Snell would also be on the hook for his $38.5 million salary in 2025 if he exercised his player option this winter.
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The teams interested in Snell – New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers – weren’t interested in meeting both demands. While San Francisco could’ve landed a top prospect with Snell back in Cy Young form, that wasn’t the case if the acquiring team had to take on his entire contract.
What’s surprising about teams’ unwillingness to take on Snell’s contract is that Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic previously reported the expectation around MLB was that Snell would decline his player option this offseason. If that’s the case, any team acquiring him would’ve only been on the hook for the remainder of his 2024 salary.
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Instead, Snell stuck around in San Francisco and while the Giants are falling out of the MLB playoff picture he did at least provide the organization and fan base with a memorable moment from the 2024 season.
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