Where is Snellzilla Heading?
The baseball world is waiting to see where the reigning National League Cy Young Winner is going to pitch next year. Many teams are considered “in the mix”. The real contenders in my eyes are the Padres, Dodgers, Mets, Mariners, Rangers, Orioles, Red Sox, and Giants. These teams are all competitive and need starting pitching. Another similarity between these teams is they also all have money to spend in free agency.
Photo Credit - Colorado Rockies v San Diego Padres / Sean M. Haffey/GettyImages
The Padres are in a weird place right now. After moving Soto, I am not sure what the plan is. There are several stars on the team with committed contracts. The farm system is solid and only getting better with the Soto trade pieces coming in from New York. Are they going to sit back and let some prospects develop due to the contracts already on the books? Who knows? This may be the move and I doubt with the current payroll they are going to outbid the market for Snell.
Do the Dodgers go after Snell? They have the $$$ after Ohtani’s generous contract deferment. I can see this happening, but ultimately don’t think it will. Snell just doesn’t seem like a Dodger to me, but I have been wrong before. Money talks and with some personal hardware (2x Cy Youngs) already accounted for, I think Snell will look to go somewhere based on money, playoff aspirations, and market. The Dodgers are a contender and are West Coast based which could factor into his decision as Snell resides in Washington during his offseasons.
The Mets also seem far-fetched for a Snell signing. I just don’t see him coming back to the East Coast to play for the Mets unless he gets offered that much more to go pitch in New York. Plus the Mets seem focused on Yamamoto.
Boston, San Francisco, Baltimore, and Texas would all be good fits for one reason or another, but my bet is Seattle.
The Mariners are his hometown team, they are contending, they already shipped off Kelenic and others to clear cap space. Although Seattle fans may argue with me that they need a bat over an arm, I wouldn’t disagree. This match just seems too good to be true. Snell to the Mariners would bolster the rotation for a serious playoff run between Blake Snell, Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Robbie Ray (recovering from TJ), Bryan Woo, and Bryce Miller.
Seattle can move one of their young arms for an everyday bat or two and solidify their team as the bullpen is also looking poised for a solid 2024 season. Snell is a prize for any team that ends up signing him. He brings consistency and exceptional arm talent into the mix every time he steps on the bump.
Very curious to see where this goes!
Career
992.2 IP | 71-55 | 3.20 ERA | 1223 K | 4.1 BB9 |11.1 SO9 | 1.235 WHIP
Cy Young 2018
180.2 IP | 21-5 | 1.89 ERA | 221 K | 3.2 BB9 | 11.0 SO9 | 0.974 WHIP (only time in career WHIP < 1)
Cy Young 2023
180 IP | 14-9 | 2.25 ERA | 234 K | 5.0 BB9 | 11.7 SO9 | 1.189 WHIP