Yankees remain interested in veteran pitcher

The Yankees made an offer to star southpaw Blake Snell last month but pivoted to a deal with veteran right-hander Marcus Stroman shortly after due to a significant gap between the sides in negotiations. 

While it’s been unclear to this point whether negotiations between the sides have continued since the Yankees landed Stroman, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported on Sunday morning that the Yankees continue to have “serious interest” in Snell, though they’re currently waiting for his asking price to drop.

Snell, 31, entered the offseason as the No. 2 starting pitcher on the market behind now-Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It’s easy to see why, as the reigning NL Cy Young winner enjoyed an incredible 2023 season where he posted an MLB-leading 2.25 ERA over 180 frames while striking out a whopping 31.5 percent of batters faced.

Those incredible numbers came despite Snell leading the majors in walks as he issued free passes to 13.3 percent of batters faced. Snell’s dominance on the mound is belied somewhat by the inconsistency he’s struggled with in recent years, however. 

In the four years between his two Cy Young campaigns, he posted the numbers of a mid-to-back of the rotation arm, with a 3.85 ERA and a 3.44 FIP in a combined 413 2/3 innings of work.

That combination of dominance and inconsistency surely has played a role in the gaps Snell is facing between his camp and interested teams. 

One solution Nightengale floats as a possibility for Snell and the Yankees is a shorter deal, which MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald discussed the merits of early this week. 

Nightengale suggests that such a deal could come with a yearly salary “in excess of” $35M. That would seemingly leave Snell likely to beat the short-term, opt-out-laden deals signed by right-hander Trevor Bauer and fellow Boras client Carlos Correa in recent years. 

Bauer’s three-year, $102M guarantee is a particularly interesting comp for Snell given that both hurlers flashed Cy Young-caliber performances when at their best. They also struggled with consistency, often posting results closer to the league average in down seasons.

Even as New York remains interested in Snell, the club has the makings of a solid rotation even if they enter Opening Day with their current options. 

Gerrit Cole is among the league’s best starters, and both Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes Jr. have enjoyed front-of-the-rotation caliber seasons in the past despite difficult 2023 campaigns.

Stroman, meanwhile, is a reliable veteran arm who sports a 3.32 ERA dating back to the 2019 season. The fifth spot in the rotation, should the Yankees not add another arm, figures to go to right-hander Clarke Schmidt, who posted decent back-of-the-rotation numbers in his first season as a full-time starter last year. 

While the club would certainly benefit from adding Snell and allowing Schmidt to step into a depth role that the likes of Michael King, Randy Vasquez and Jhony Brito vacated after being dealt to San Diego in the Juan Soto trade, the addition of Stroman created a credible five-man rotation in the Bronx, at least on paper.

Likewise, the Yankees are far from the only potential suitor for Snell’s services, particularly if the price comes down over the coming weeks. 

The Angels are a frequently-discussed potential suitor for both him and fellow Boras southpaw Jordan Montgomery, while the likes of the Giants, Phillies and Blue Jays have all been rumored to have potential interest in Snell should the price of his services fall into a range they’re comfortable with. 

It’s also possible that if Snell begins to entertain short-term offers at a higher AAV, new clubs that had not been tied to the southpaw previously emerge as potential suitors, as was the case with Correa and the Twins during the 2021-22 offseason.