The San Francisco Giants struck early in MLB free agency to improve their lineup, signing Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee. Now, amid a fierce bidding war with teams for the remaining top free agents, it appears San Francisco is poised to land another big name.
After losing Carlos Rodön to the New York Yankees last winter, San Francisco has been looking for ways to fil that void in the rotation. Shohei Ohtani was one of the options, but the two-way phenom preferred the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants have also been in the market on the other top pitchers, but it appears one name is emerging as their likely addition.
- Blake Snell stats 2023: 2.25 ERA, 11.7 K/9, .180 batting average allowed, 1.19 WHIP in 180 IP
Related: San Francisco Giants join bidding war for unheralded Japanse pitcher
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Giuants have emerged as the leading candidate to sign Blake Snell. However, the reigning NL Cy Young Award recipient is waiting to agree to terms on a deal until Yoshinobu Yamamoto signs with a club.
San Francisco is one of the teams believed to be in the market for Yamamoto, with a lucrative offer that would make the Japanese star one of the highest-paid pitchers in baseball. With the New York Mets and New York Yankees also pursuing Yamamoto, however, Snell might be San Francisco’s fallback plan.
- Blake Snell career stats: 3.20 ERA, 29.7 percent K-rate, 10.9 percent walk rate, .212 batting average allowed, 1.24 WHIP in 992.2 innings pitched
There are some risks with Snell. After winning the AL Cy Young Award with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018, posting a league-low 1.89 ERA and 5.6 H/9, Snell regressed. From 2019-’21, the southpaw compiled a 4.06 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP and 127 walks allowed in 285.2 innings pitched.
Related: San Francisco Giants made huge offer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto
However, Snell thrived with Padres’ manager Bob Melvin in 2023 on his way to winning the Cy Young Award for the second time. San Francisco also offers a pitcher-friendly park with a staff of pitching coaches that should help Young pitch at an All-Star level. If Snell ultimately lands in San Francisco, the Giants’ rotation in 2024 would be headlined by Snell, Logan Webb, Alex Cobb and Kyle Harrison.
While the Giants would certainly prefer Yamamoto due to his age and a higher likelihood of long-term success, adding a two-time Cy Young Award winner to the rotation along with Lee’s addition in center field would make this a productive offseason for San Francisco.
