{"id":89726,"date":"2024-11-15T17:39:18","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T22:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=89726"},"modified":"2024-11-15T17:39:18","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T22:39:18","slug":"two-time-cy-young-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/11\/15\/two-time-cy-young-winner\/","title":{"rendered":"Two-Time Cy Young Winner Hits The Open Market Again"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For the second straight winter, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/snellbl01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blake Snell<\/a> represents one of the better free agent pitchers available. However, many expect the southpaw to see a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/11\/03\/cubs-targeting-cy-young-winner\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">healthier market<\/a> for his services this time.<\/p>\n<h2>Two-Time Cy Young Winner Hits The Open Market Again<\/h2>\n<p>Snell lingered on the open market last offseason as teams were reluctant to pay him big money, even after a Cy Young season. Prior to the 2024 season, Snell supported a career ERA+ of 128. Without his two <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2018\/11\/15\/blake-snell-jacob-degrom-win-cy-young-awards\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Cy Young<\/a>-winning seasons, his career ERA+ drops to 109.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Among those with 100+ innings in 2024, only Paul Skenes had a better raw value-, and only Garrett Crochet had a better whiff+ than Blake Snell. <\/p>\n<p>So what it will take to sign the FA lefty? <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/zcrizer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@zcrizer<\/a> answers that question and ranks the MLB free agents.<a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/i5nHoOXDNG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/i5nHoOXDNG<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/syIOPp2Pcp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/syIOPp2Pcp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Opta Analyst US (@OptaAnalystUS) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OptaAnalystUS\/status\/1857468356036620737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Nobody doubted that Snell was a talented, above-average pitcher. But, his inconsistent track record made teams think twice about committing top dollar to him. That led him to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/03\/21\/giants-history-blake-snell\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">sign a high-salary, short-term deal with the San Francisco Giants<\/a> during spring training.<\/p>\n<p>Though he got off to a rough start, Snell eventually found his footing and was one of the best pitchers in the league. With a longer track record of consistent success to show teams, Snell looks to finally cash in as a free agent this offseason.<\/p>\n<h3>Blake Snell Free Agent Profile<\/h3>\n<p>Snell could not have started last season worse than he did. Due to his late signing, he was not ready by Opening Day. It seems he rushed his pre-season preparation to debut on April 8. Unfortunately, the left-hander experienced two separate injured list stints and severe struggles during the season&#8217;s first three months. He posted a 9.51 ERA in 23 2\/3 innings in his first six starts.<\/p>\n<p>However, he was a brand new pitcher after missing most of June with a groin injury. In his final 14 starts of the season, a stretch that began on July 9, Snell dominated. He tossed 80 1\/3 innings and produced a 1.23 ERA with 114 strikeouts and 30 walks.<\/p>\n<p>That production was on par with what he posted in 2023. That season, he tossed 180 innings with the San Diego Padres and featured a 2.25 ERA (187 ERA+) with 234 strikeouts. His 11.7 K\/9 ratio that season is almost identical to the 11.77 K\/9 rate he posted during his dominant stretch last year.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Congrats to Blake Snell on the no-hitter. Never even went 8 innings before tonight. 114 pitches, his arm is still attached to his body, and he did something everyone in that stadium will remember forever. Let\u2019s keep playing real baseball, people.<\/p>\n<p> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RnUvK1EFsX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/RnUvK1EFsX<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Super70sSports\/status\/1819562471172329782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 3, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Plus, Snell dominated last season without walking that many batters. Snell always had a reputation for walking a lot of hitters but negated it with elite strikeout rates and low hit rates. During his great stretch last year, he posted a 3.36 BB\/9 ratio, much lower than the 4.95 BB\/9 ratio he supported the year prior. Overall in 2024, he\u00a0produced a 3.12 ERA (124 ERA+) with 145 punchouts in 104 innings.<\/p>\n<p>It seems that Snell has unlocked some consistency in his early thirties, which should make him a more appealing free agent option. It doesn&#8217;t seem that he is as much of an enigma as he was on last winter&#8217;s market, and his agent should be able to turn that into big money.<\/p>\n<h3>Contract Projections<\/h3>\n<p>Rumors swirled last season that Snell was looking for a deal worth at least $200 million. He eventually settled for a two-year, $62 million contract that included <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/11\/01\/sf-giants-snell-contract-free-agent\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">an opt-out after year one<\/a> (that he obviously exercised). He earned $15 million during the season and is owed a $17 million bonus in January 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Snell will be 32 on Opening Day. Only one pitcher of that age has secured a deal in free agency worth more than five years. Additionally, multiple top-end starters are available via trade and free agency this winter. The odds are against Snell signing for more than five years. However, there is a slight possibility that his profile (talented but not durable) limits him to a short-term deal with a high average annual value.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlbtraderumors.com\/2024\/11\/2024-25-top-50-mlb-free-agents-with-predictions.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MLB Trade Rumors<\/a> projects a five-year, $16o million deal ($32 million per year), while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5863532\/2024\/10\/31\/mlb-free-agents-2024-contract-team-predictions-soto\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jim Bowden of The Athletic<\/a> predicts a three-year, $105 million contract ($35 million per year). Bowden supports his prediction by saying that Snell only has two seasons of 30 or more starts and doesn&#8217;t have a season with over 180 2\/3 innings. He has also only pitched 130 or more innings once since 2018.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JeffPassan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@JeffPassan<\/a> mentions in passing the Red Sox are talking to Blake Snell and Max Fried.<\/p>\n<p>We saw him link the Red Sox and Fried together in his offseason preview, but not Snell.<\/p>\n<p>Snell doesn\u2019t carry a QO, which Burnes\/Fried both have. Lowest ERA\/FIP of any starter in the 2nd half. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1vDNDZ6Nso\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/1vDNDZ6Nso<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tylermilliken_\/status\/1857518224012980366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Many reports indicate that more teams will be aggressive this winter. Snell does not have a qualifying offer attached to him, meaning he will only cost money, not money and a draft pick. More quality arms are available this winter, but <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2020\/05\/27\/blake-snell-hires-scott-boras-as-agent-leaving-apex-sports\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">agent Scott Boras<\/a> should be able to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/10\/03\/blake-snell-giants-offseason-priority\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">leverage enough deep-pocketed teams<\/a> to secure Snell at least a five-year deal.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credits: Katie Stratman \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the second straight winter, Blake Snell represents one of the better free agent pitchers available. However, many expect the southpaw to see a healthier market for his services this time. Two-Time Cy Young Winner Hits The Open Market Again Snell lingered on the open market last offseason as teams were reluctant to pay him [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4683,"featured_media":89764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30,1071,31],"tags":[1122],"class_list":["post-89726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-padres","category-mlb","category-giants","tag-blake-snell"],"modified_by":"Evan Mazza, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4683"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89726"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89726\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}