Blake Snell Privately Expressed Interest in Playing for Yankees, per Report

Could the 2023 NL Cy Young winner join an old division rival?

Vanishingly few of MLB's current crop of free agents raised their stock in 2023 the way pitcher Blake Snell did.

Left for dead after a ho-hum first two years with the San Diego Padres, all the former Cy Young Award winner did was go 14–9 with a league-leading 2.25 ERA to regain his past form. For his efforts, Snell joined an elite class of pitchers to win the Cy Young in both leagues.

Any team in baseball would be thrilled to obtain Snell's services, and it appears a frontrunner is emerging.

Snell has expressed interest in playing for the New York Yankees, according to a Thursday morning report from Andy Martino of SNY.

NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell wants to return to the AL East, according to a report.  / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

"League sources say that two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell has privately expressed an interest in playing for the (New York) Yankees, though he has plenty of other suitors," Martino wrote. "At the moment, Snell seems a more likely fit in New York than (free agent pitcher) Jordan Montgomery, with whom they have also talked."

Snell, 31, is a former division rival of the Yankees, having pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2016-20. He is 4–6 lifetime with a 4.31 ERA in 18 career starts against New York.

The Yankees are still reeling from their loss in the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes, as the Japanese ace signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Dec. 27.