One of the last big free agents is off the board.
It was reported by Jon Heyman on Monday evening that the San Francisco Giants have signed left-handed pitcher Blake Snell to a two-year, $62 million deal with an opt-out after the first season.
Snell is the reigning National League Cy Young winner, as he posted a 2.25 ERA and a 3.44 FIP in 180 innings pitched with the San Diego Padres in 2023. The 31-year-old has always been a big strikeout guy, and last season was no different as he had a 31.5 K%, along with his highest ever BB% of 13.3%.
This was Snell’s second Cy Young award, as he won the American League Cy Young back in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays, when he had a 1.89 ERA and a 2.94 FIP in 180.2 innings pitched. Similarly, he had a 31.6 K% that season along with a 9.1 BB%.
The Blue Jays were never really in on Snell, with only one big report coming from Bob Nightengale in mid-January who stated that the Blue Jays were “quietly monitoring” Snell and his situation. However, it never seemed like they were big players as their rotation is pretty much set in stone with Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi as their first four starters in the rotation.
Of course, the fifth spot in the rotation is a little more open, as Alek Manoah had a pretty rough season in 2023 and only pitched in one game during Spring Training. However, Mitch White, Bowden Francis, and Yariel Rodríguez could all fill in the rotation for the time being. This doesn’t even mention prospects Ricky Tiedemann and Chad Dallas, as well as Wes Parsons who is still on the 40-man roster.
As for the Giants, this is their fourth fairly sizable signing this off-season. Very early during the off-season, they signed Korean outfield Jung Hoo Lee to a six-year, $113 million deal. Afterwards, they signed former Blue Jay Jordan Hicks to a four-year, $44 million deal as it looks like they’ll run him out as a starter in 2024.
Like Snell, Chapman took forever to get off the market, and the Giants snapped him up by signing him to a three-year, $54 million deal that came with an opt out. The Blue Jays will receive a pick after the fourth-round.
Speaking of draft picks, the Giants already sacrificed their second-round pick as well as $500,000 in international bonus pool money with the signing of Chapman. However, they’ll now lose their third-round pick as well, plus an additional $500,000 in international bonus pool money.
They are however, the clear favourite to finish second in the division behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had an even more eventful off-season. But hey, at least he’s not a Yankee, right?
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