MLB insider shares surprising nugget about lefty ace's decision to join SF Giants last year

Did Blake Snell want to play for the SF Giants last year? Bob Nightengale of USA Today shared an interesting nugget about the two-time Cy Young winner, saying, "He didn’t want to sign there a year ago, but the market collapsed."

MLB insider shares surprising nugget about lefty ace's decision to join SF Giants last year

That is not the type of reaction you want to see with any free agent, especially a team like the Giants as they have seemingly faced an uphill battle surrounding the narrative for the city of San Francisco among prospective targets.

For what it is worth, Nightengale does predict that Snell will return with the Giants and many on his staff agree. Of course, the biggest roadblock to this now is that the Giants have signaled that they plan to cut payroll this winter.

That is not what you want to hear from a team that is often considered one of the most valuable franchises in baseball. That said, the organization has spent heavily in free agency in recent years but without the satisfactory return on investment.

I should caution that this does not mean that they will go through with their plan to shed payroll. That could very well end up being the case, but if they somehow become legitimate players for Juan Soto, you throw any plans about payroll out the window.

On the other hand, Nightengale shares an interesting detail about Blake Snell's thoughts before joining the Giants. That is, that he did not want to join San Francisco but the market he had hoped for never materialized.

Nevertheless, Nightengale mentions that the Giants liked Snell's time with the club and he feels that both parties could end up reuniting.

While Oracle Park has been a roadblock to landing power hitters in free agency, it should be perceived as a good landing spot for pitchers given the cold climate and expansive ballpark dimensions.

Snell realized some of that benefit as he posted a 2.85 ERA at Oracle Park compared to a 3.40 ERA on the road last season. Obviously, he is the type of pitcher who would thrive regardless of where he pitches.

That said, it is a fair argument for any pitcher that their numbers would be more favorable when playing half of their games at Oracle Park.

At the end of the day, the lefty ace is now a free agent after opting out of the remainder of his two-year, $62 million pact. At that point, the odds of a player returning to his incumbent team are a flip of the coin at best or likely worse than that.

If the Giants do follow through with their plan to cut payroll next season, it is hard to envision a scenario where Snell returns. However, one MLB insider believes it is possible.