Giants have ‘Open up the Checkbook’ for Another Free Agent who could turn things Around
After whiffing on pursuits of top free agents in recent years, the San Francisco Giants finally landed one this winter. They signed Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee to a six-year, $113 million deal, first reported by the New York Post’s Jon Heyman on December 12. Unfortunately, that acquisition was sandwiched by two more disappointments.
The Giants tried to woo Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the Bay. Neither came to fruition, and now they both play for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
However, there are still plenty of elite free agents available. One is two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. In a January 2 piece for ESPN, a handful of MLB insiders were asked about their impressions of the offseason. Topics included what move they liked the most, what move made them scratch their head and what they thought could happen next.
ESPN senior writer Dave Schoenfield was among this group. He thinks San Francisco will be the team to reel in Snell for a big-money deal. Here’s Schoenfield’s explanation behind that thought
“Snell, Jordan Montgomery and Bellinger are all represented by Scott Boras and he’s not afraid to ride negotiations out until the start of spring training. Still, it feels like the Giants are still desperate to spend some money beyond center fielder Jung Hoo Lee, so I think they’re going to open up the checkbook for Snell. It’s a gamble given Snell’s inconsistent results and durability in his career, but the Giants are in a position where they have to gamble on upside and, as a two-time Cy Young winner, Snell is that guy.”
Giants Have First-Hand Experience of Snell’s Upside
Snell spent the first five years of his MLB career with the Tampa Bay Rays. The last three have been with the San Diego Padres. San Francisco has had an up-close-and-personal look at the left-hander’s upside during their National League West matchups.
In nine career starts against the Giants, Snell owns a 5-1 record with a 1.61 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 72 strikeouts in 50.1 innings. Three of those starts came in 2023 when he took home his second Cy Young Award. The southpaw didn’t allow an earned run across 18 innings against San Francisco. It’s also worth noting that Snell owns a 1.59 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 31 strikeouts in 22.2 career innings at Oracle Park.
So, the Giants have a good idea of what an effective Snell can accomplish on the mound.
Now that Yamamoto has made his decision, the next wave of top starting pitchers can now find homes for 2024 and beyond. This includes Snell, Jordan Montgomery and Japanese hurler Shōta Imanaga.
Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported on November 27 that the southpaw wants to pitch for his hometown Mariners. Several other teams have been connected to Snell since free agency started, though. MLB.com notes that this group includes the Giants, Padres, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels.
Which of these teams could be San Francisco’s greatest threat? The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported on December 14 that the Giants were a perceived frontrunner for Snell. However, a December 21 report from the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser said Los Angeles was making Snell their “top priority”.
It might ultimately depend on how badly the Giants want to make a splash. Despite not signing Ohtani or Yamamoto, simply being in those sweepstakes shows they have plenty of money to spend on roster upgrades. Schoenfield thinks San Francisco will get desperate enough to eventually take a gamble on the southpaw.
