Age in 2024 Season: 31
2023 Stats: 14-9, 2.25 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 234 K's, 4.1 WAR, 180 IP
Blake Snell became the seventh player in MLB history to win a Cy Young Award in both leagues this past season, but teams haven't exactly been kicking down his door this offseason to give over $200 million.
The reality for Snell is that while he has two ERA titles on his resume (2018 and 2023), those are the only two campaigns in which he's thrown more than 130 innings. He's never come close to pitching 200 innings in a season. And his success has come in two smaller media markets with the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres.
Nightengale recently reported that the Toronto Blue Jays have been "quietly monitoring" Snell's market this offseason, although the extent of their interest is unclear.
At one point this offseason, the Yankees "were willing to go above" the $27 million per year they signed Carlos Rodon for last offseason to sign Snell, according to Heyman.
Instead, the Yankees signed Marcus Stroman to a two-year, $37 million deal, which doesn't necessarily preclude them from adding Snell, but makes them less motivated to meet him at his terms.
A slew of teams nominally make sense for Snell, but he may have to come down from the close to $200 million he seemed likely to get at the outset of the offseason and/or join a team that doesn't offer an immediate path to contention.
Possible Fits: San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners
Landing Spot Prediction: Los Angeles Angels
The Angels didn't have enough pitching with Shohei Ohtani in the fold, and they definitely don't now that he's joined the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported in January that the Angels had interest in Snell, who would immediately become the ace for the Halos. Boras -- Snell's agent -- and Angels owner Arte Moreno have a bit of a rocky history, but that shouldn't prevent a deal from getting done if it's best for both parties.
Wherever he signs, expect his contract to allow him to opt out and return to free agency relatively early in the deal.
