MLB insider confirms that SF Giants rivals made a last-minute push for Blake Snell

Blake Snell's market did not necessarily materialize as he would have hoped this offseason. That said, he did land with the SF Giants on a two-year deal. Jon Heyman of the New York Post confirms that they were not the only team involved as the Los Angeles Dodgers also made a last-minute play to land the two-time Cy Young winner.

MLB insider confirms that SF Giants rivals made a last-minute push for Blake Snell

The Dodgers had an incredible (and frustrating) offseason. They added Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and even Teoscar Hernández. This is a team that won 100 games last season with a talented roster and they added to that this past winter.

Of course, the Giants had interest in both Ohtani and Yamamoto but they chose Los Angeles because it offered a better chance to win. with Snell, the Giants were on the winning side of the bidding this time.

Heyman does not indicate what level of interest the Dodgers had in the veteran lefty. Though, their interest does confirm that they still have money to spend.

The Dodgers did much of their spending early in the offseason, whereas the Giants struck late. They landed Snell along with Matt Chapman and Jorge Soler after spring training began.

Given that expectations are sky high, the Dodgers will likely continue to be aggressive at the trade deadline. You can never have enough pitching and that unused money for Snell can be reapplied elsewhere.

Snell's Giants career has gotten off to a slow start. He has a 10.42 ERA with 24 strikeouts against 11 walks in 19.0 frames for San Francisco this year.

The lefty pitcher was candid about how missing all of spring training may be impacting his performance currently. He was signed so late in the offseason that he did not make an appearance with the Giants during the Cactus League. He built up his arm strength through bullpens and simulated games. However, facing live hitters you normally see during the season is still the best feedback loop for many pitchers.

Slow starts have been a common trend in Snell's career but the Giants hope that he can start to rebound as the weather improves. The rotation has not been a strength yet in 2024 and it will need to improve if the Giants are going to compete for a playoff spot.