The Houston Astros are reportedly in “serious pursuit” of reigning NL Cy Young winner and top free-agent pitcher Blake Snell. The Astros rotation has seen a lot of changes over the past two months, raising concerns about the health of their pitching staff. It is unclear how close the two could be on a deal, but all signs point to Houston offering Snell a short-term contract.
Blake Snell has told the Houston Astros that he’s willing to sign a short-term deal to join them, but wants at least a 2-year guarantee for $66 million with an opt-out after the 2024 season, per @BNightengale pic.twitter.com/dPB2NQiqfS
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) March 17, 2024
The Astros already knew they would be without Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis García for the early part of the upcoming season. Then it was announced that Houston’s ace, Justin Verlander, would begin the season on the injured list with shoulder soreness. That left Houston with Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, José Urquidy, Hunter Brown, and J.P. France in their Opening Day rotation. However, that was before news broke on Friday that José Urquidy had pulled himself from a game with a “sore elbow” after 43 pitches. Urquidy flew back to Houston on Saturday to be evaluated by the team’s medical staff and to have an MRI.
Houston Astros Reportedly in “Serious Pursuit” of Blake Snell
General manager Dana Brown recently said that he wasn’t looking for more starting pitching, but he seems to have reconsidered. If Urquidy’s injury causes him to miss time, it would almost force Houston to add another arm to their rotation. When reliever Kendall Graveman required season-ending shoulder surgery, the Astros signed closer Josh Hader to a five-year contract. So, with Urquidy now injured, is it time for the Astros to sign Blake Snell?
Before the injury to Urquidy, Dana Brown spoke about Snell, saying, “we check in to ask what is the latest.” Snell is the most expensive free agent on the market and reportedly turned down a six-year, $150 million offer from the Yankees. The 31-year-old told the Astros that he would sign a short-term deal, but he wants a 2-year guarantee for $66 million with an opt-out after 2024. The question is if Jim Crane is willing to sign Snell for the $32 million annual salary that he’s seeking.
In 32 starts last season, Snell pitched to a 2.25 ERA and won his second career Cy Young Award. He was tied for third in strikeouts and led the league in both ERA and hits per nine innings. Snell was originally looking for a long-term contract but now seems open to considering a short-term guaranteed contract with opt-outs. The Astros need another quality starter, and getting one in Blake Snell would certainly boost their rotation.
Snell’s Potential Impact on the Astros
The Astros reportedly “are intrigued,” but are the latest to balk at Snell’s high asking price. They began discussions with Snell’s agent Scott Boras earlier this week, but are reportedly waiting for his price to drop. If Houston signs Snell for what he’s asking, it would put the team over the third luxury tax threshold. Houston’s competitive balance tax for the upcoming season is estimated to be around $256 million according to Fangraphs. A contract anywhere near Snell’s asking price would put them over both the second penalization of $257 million and the third penalization of $277 million. Since Houston didn’t exceed the CBT last year, they wouldn’t face excessive repeat payor fees that other interested teams would.
Like Hader, signing Snell would also impact the Astros’ farm system because he rejected a qualifying offer from the Padres. Houston would have to forfeit their third and sixth-highest picks as well as $500,000 from their international pool.
The Astros are an excellent team and, in a way, signing Snell now would mimic trading for Verlander in 2017. Before that trade, the Astros were talented enough to be a contender, but Verlander made them better. The same thing could be said about signing Blake Snell. Houston has the talent to get back to the World Series, but adding another quality starter would only make them better.
Like when they first added Verlander, Crane has been very vocal about his affinity for Snell. That makes it seem like it’s only a matter of time before Snell arrives in Houston. Houston would be upping the ante this season with a rotation led by Verlander, Snell, and Valdez with Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader as the Astros closers.
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