Just in: With three words from the coach, the San Diego Padres signed a rising star to a massive contract extension.
After winning the National League Cy Young award, Blake Snell, the star of the San Diego Padres at the time, became a free agent last winter. Snell probably earned the multi-year deal he was seeking, one that would pay him off over the next four or five years.
With a 2.25 ERA, 5.8 H/9, 11.7 K/9, and an astounding 187 ERA+, Snell had made 32 starts. Despite his absurd dominance, some sophisticated analytics suggested that it was more chance than skill.
Snell ultimately signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants, which contained a sizable 2025 player option. Following
The Padres are tied to a reunion with Blake Snell that would hurt the Giants, their division foe.
Snell would undoubtedly be desired by almost every club in the NBA, but not all of them can afford him.
Snell came in at number three on MLB insider Mark Feinsand’s list of his top 25 free agents for this winter. Feinsand included the Padres and the Giants in his list of the top three teams that might fit Snell.
“Snell is testing free agency for the second consecutive year after opting out of his Giants contract. After earning his second career Cy Young Award, he had trouble getting the deal he desired,” Feinsand writes. After agreeing to a two-year, $62 million deal with the Giants, the southpaw had a 9.51 ERA in six appearances and finished 0–3 during the injury-plagued first half of 2024. “Despite starting the 2024 season slowly, Snell was the best pitcher.” Snell returned on July 9 and went 5-0 with a 1.23 ERA in 14 starts, a run that will probably make him much more attractive than last offseason, when compensation was connected to his free agency.
The Padres could try to jump in and get their former ace back from a division foe, but San Francisco will be very active in bringing their ace back. He declined his player option and returned to free agency this winter as a result of his performance in the game during the latter part of the season.
