Every year at the MLB trade deadline, one deal no one saw coming shakes up the postseason picture. Could San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell be the centerpiece of such a deal in 2024?
According to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, Snell is drawing “significant trade interest” ahead of Tuesday’s deadline — a surprising turn of events for the Giants and the two-time Cy Young Award winner, who signed a two-year, $62 million contract in March.
The special nature of Snell’s contract presents an intriguing scenario for this year’s trade deadline. Teams are able to exchange major league players up until 6 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Snell has a player option for 2025, worth $30 million. If it’s exercised, half of Snell’s 2025 salary is deferred until July 1, 2027. A strong second half could change things, but for now, it’s a safe bet that Snell would trigger his option clause. He’s 0-3 with a 5.83 ERA (3.94 FIP) in nine starts.
More recently, Snell has looked more like the pitcher who claimed the 2023 National League Cy Young award with the Padres or the 2018 AL Cy Young with the Tampa Bay Rays.
In three starts since he returned from a left groin strain on July 9, Snell has thrown 18 innings and allowed one run without factoring into any of the decisions. It’s a small sample size, but Snell has also minimized the most significant cause for concern in his game.
Despite going 14-9 with an MLB-low 2.25 ERA last year, Snell led the majors in walks, with 99 in 180 innings. This year, he’s walked just 19 batters in 41.2 innings. It’s understandable why contending teams would want to acquire Snell. But why would the Giants want to trade him?
At 50-55 entering play Saturday, the Giants are 5.5 games behind the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League. That gap isn’t insurmountable, but four teams reside ahead of San Francisco in the Wild Card standings. If the Giants choose to retool for next season, they might consider dealing Snell for one or more players who can contribute to their 2025 team.
As Baggarly notes, there’s also a nominal financial incentive for the Giants to deal Snell:
The Giants and agent Scott Boras structured $17 million of Snell’s contract as a signing bonus … that is nontransferable to a trade partner. Snell’s actual salary this season is just $15 million, and trading him would trim only a prorated portion of that amount — a savings of less than $5 million. The CBT savings would be even lower than that — barely $2 million — and that’s if a trading partner doesn’t balk at taking full responsibility for a $30 million salary in 2025 if Snell does not exercise his ability to opt out after the season.
Snell is scheduled to start Saturday against the Colorado Rockies, and the report suggests he might be “the most scouted player in the big leagues” with the trade deadline looming. There is no shortage of teams looking for starting pitching help. If the White Sox choose to hold on to starting pitcher Garrett Crochet, Snell could become the most coveted left-hander on the market.
More news: The MLB Trade Deadline’s Most Intriguing Player Has A List of Requests
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