Division rival could pursue reunion with SF Giants lefty ace in the winter

SF Giants lefty ace Blake Snell could be a popular target in the offseason and they will have to go up against at least one division rival for his services. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the San Diego Padres could be among the teams to target the two-time Cy Young winner.

Division rival could pursue reunion with SF Giants lefty ace in the winter

Heyman confirms that the Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers checked in on Snell before the trade deadline. However, the Giants set a high price for him and were not too keen on trading him to a division rival.

Snell signed a two-year, $62 million pact with the Giants late in the offseason. This deal includes a $30 million player option for 2025. There is a very good chance that he declines that player option in favor of free agency.

The left-handed hurler hoped to land a lucrative contract in the winter, but that did not come to fruition. Two years and $62 million is not a bad consolation prize. However, he was looking in the neighborhood of five years and at least $25 million per season. Given that he was coming off of his second Cy Young Award, he certainly made a case to see that type of deal.

The 30-year-old pitcher will be looking to land that lucrative pact yet against this offseason. This time, he will do so without a qualifying offer being attached to his name. That can depress interest for some players, but that was likely not an issue for Snell.

In his first season with the Giants, the lefty pitcher got off to a slow start and missed much of the first half of the season due to injury. Signing so late in the offseason may have affected his performance in the early going, but he has hit his stride lately.

Overall, Snell has posted a 3.91 ERA, 2.93 FIP, 1.07 WHIP, 11.9 K/9, and a 3.25 SO/W rate in 13 starts with San Francisco. This includes a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in the first week of August.

It is believed that Snell prefers to remain on the West Coast. That could bode well for a team like San Francisco. However, the Padres make plenty of sense as well. The veteran pitcher played for San Diego for three seasons starting in 2021. He had a lot of success there and a reunion could be on the table.

On the other hand, the Giants have not been too motivated to hand out long-term deals to pitchers in free agency in recent years. Maybe they make an exception with Snell? It is too early to tell, but the offseason chatter is beginning to pick up.