2 playoff teams that will regret not trading for SF Giants ace at the trade deadline

The SF Giants were not out of playoff contention at the time of the trade deadline, but the odds were not in their favor. Blake Snell was one potential target for a handful of teams but he remained with San Francisco. There are at least two teams that will regret not making a move for the two-time Cy Young winner.

2 playoff teams that will regret not trading for SF Giants ace at the trade deadline

While just about every playoff-caliber team could have used Snell at the trade deadline. You can rule out a few landing spots for one reason or another.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks would have all benefitted from adding Snell, but there is a good chance that the Giants were not trading him within the division.

Taking on the remainder of Snell's two-year, $62 million pact would likely have been a non-starter for the budget-conscious Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Guardians. His deal includes an opt-out after the first season and you can bet that he will exercise that.

The Houston Astros added to their rotation by acquiring Yusei Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies likely just did not have a need for a starting pitcher.

Perhaps, the Atlanta Braves should be considered for this given that a Snell-Chris Sale pairing would have been about as formidable of a duo as you can have. They are fading out of the playoff picture. Lastly, the New York Mets could have used Snell but that budget might be tapped out.

1. Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles might be one of the smarter teams today, but they also might be too smart for their own good. This is the case for many teams. They just do not want to trade prospect capital for a rental such as Snell.

Of course, if you are worried about tomorrow, you might miss what is right in front of you. The Orioles added Corbin Burnes late in the offseason and he has been by far their best pitcher. There is a pretty sizable drop off in performance from Burnes to the next best option in Baltimore's rotation. Perhaps, Baltimore was not desperate for a rotation arm as they have a 3.82 rotation ERA in 2024.

However, they did add one at the trade deadline in Trevor Rogers. Rogers had an impressive rookie season in 2022 but he underwent Tommy John surgery at the start of the 2023 season and has struggled since then.

The lefty pitcher posted a 7.11 ERA in four starts following the trade before being optioned back to the minors. Speaking of lefty pitchers, Snell has posted a 1.44 ERA in 10 starts since the trade deadline. In fact, he has had more starts (10) than earned runs allowed (9) during that stretch.

Adding a pitcher, especially a southpaw, was evidently one of their needs and they added the wrong one.

Teams only get so many chances to compete in the playoffs that you need to take advantage when the opportunity arises. For the Orioles, the opportunity was there to make another big addition to pair with Burnes.

Unfortunately, the worst time to remember this is in the playoffs when the trade deadline has already passed. They cannot do anything to go back in time now.