5 veteran SF Giants players who are slated to hit free agency at the end of the year

The offseason is officially here. While free agency does not start until after the World Series, the SF Giants do have a handful of players who are slated to hit the open market.

5 veteran SF Giants players who are slated to hit free agency at the end of the year

As has become commonplace, the Giants do have several players with options to consider as well. We will be looking just at players whose contracts expire at the end of the season with one exception: Blake Snell.

There is certainly a scenario where they do not bring back any of their impending free agents. We will address that in a future piece. For the time being, we will look at who will hit free agency to get you started for the offseason.

1. Blake Snell

Technically, Snell is under contract through the end of the 2025 season as he signed a two-year, $62 million pact. However, this includes an opt-out after the first season and while I do not like talking in absolutes with baseball, you can be sure that he will exercise that opt-out clause, thereby becoming a free agent again.

It was certainly a weird offseason for the two-time Cy Young winner last year as he did not see the lucrative contract that he expected to see in free agency. With another strong year under his belt and no qualifying offer this time around, Snell should be in the market for a sizable contract.

At the end of the day, there are only still a handful of teams that could afford the southpaw pitcher. The Giants expect to be among the interested suitors.

Snell got off to a slow start due in part to injuries and signing so late in the offseason. He just did not have the normal ramp up that pitchers get in spring training. Overall, he posted a 3.12 ERA, 2.43 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 12.5 K/9, and a 3.30 SO/W rate in 20 starts with San Francisco.

Since the start of July, Snell had been one of the best pitchers in baseball. In 14 starts, he posted a 1.23 ERA with 114 strikeouts and 30 walks in 80.1 innings. He had more starts (14) than earned runs allowed (11) during that stretch.

The 31-year-old pitcher will give away some free passes and that might concern some teams as he ages. However, it is a minor tradeoff to make given the substantial upside he offers.