Blake Snell’s longest season is finally over. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Blake Snell is moving from San Diego to San Francisco.
The two-time Cy Young winner reportedly agreed to a two-year, $62 million deal with the Giants, ending a three-year stay with the Padres and a long, uncertain offseason. MLB Networks Jon Heyman reported first News Monday. According to multiple reports, Snell There are deviations After one season.
The deal comes 10 days before the start of the regular season and ends Snell’s grueling free agency with agent Scott Boras. Snell was ranked No. 1 in Yahoo Sports’ Top 25 at the start of the winter. 4 was a free agent. According to many reports, the Houston Astros, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels were also linked with interest in Snell, but he ultimately ended up in San Francisco.
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Will Snell maintain his Cy Young form?
Snell, 31, is coming off a renaissance campaign that earned him his second career Cy Young Award. In 2023, he posted an NL-best 2.25 ERA with a 1.189 WHIP and 234 strikeouts in 180 innings. His 5.9 hits allowed per nine innings were the best in the Netherlands.
Snell has a four-pitch arsenal anchored by a high-90s fastball used to set up strikeouts, as well as a slider, curveball and changeup. Although he allowed an NL-high 99 walks, his high strikeout rate allowed him to minimize the damage last season.
His ERA last season was the best since his previous Cy Young season with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018. He posted an AL-best 1.89 ERA that year.
Snell’s control, or lack thereof, can sometimes cause problems. Between his Cy Youngs, he recorded two seasons with an ERA above 4 – 4.29 in 2019 and 4.20 in 2021 – but in his prime he was one of the most productive pitchers in baseball. He will provide significant potential at the top of San Francisco’s roster alongside Logan Webb, whose signings included the signings of Jorge Soler, Jung Hoo Lee and Matt Chapman in a sneaky offseason by the Giants.
A new era begins for the Padres
Snell’s departure from San Diego marks the team’s attempt to trim payroll after the Padres made several high-profile acquisitions in recent seasons under late owner Peter Seidler. Shortly after trading for Snell in 2020, the Padres signed fellow All-Star Yu Darvish. They traded for perennial MVP candidate Juan Soto at the 2022 trade deadline and signed All-Star infielder Xander Bogaerts to a $280 million free-agent contract the following winter.
These players join a roster that already featured rising star Fernando Tadis Jr. and All-Star Manny Machado and is poised to compete for San Diego’s first World Series championship. And the Padres advanced to the NLCS in 2022 before collapsing in the postseason after a disappointing 82-80 season in 2023.
The Padres still plan to field a competitive roster in 2024 and could compete for the wild card. But the days of liberal spending appear to be a thing of the past under Seidler, who died in November.
2024-03-19 15:16:46
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