Atlanta Braves Should Keep Eye on Free Agent Blake Snell

Blake Snell is now a free agent, and that opens the door wide open for the Braves to make a splash add to the starting rotation

The Atlanta Braves had a huge chance to sign a two-time Cy Young Award winner / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Starting pitcher Blake Snell has opted out of his contract with the San Francisco Giants. He’ll be back on the free-agent market after just one season. 

Blake Snell has opted out of his contract with the Giants.

He is now a free agent. pic.twitter.com/FPsxY29G5H

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 1, 2024

The 31-year-old lefty turned down a $38.5 million player option to seek a longer-term deal. It would have been the year of his deal regardless, but he’s looking to redeem himself after a long winter last season that saw him signed midway through Spring Training. 

With that brings opportunity for the Atlanta Braves. Max Fried could be taking his services elsewhere and while Charlie Morton is leaning toward returning in 2025, there are no guarantees. 

Signing the two-time Cy Young Award winner would be a massive offseason splash for the Braves. 

While a bat is a more pressing need, the Braves need to at least keep an eye on him as an additional seismic signing this winter.

It might also be a good fit. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden named the Braves as a top fit for Blake Snell. Despite the lack of durability - he was on the Injured List twice in 2024 alone - he is considered a great add to the rotation. 

Bowden projected Snell to receive a 3-year, $105 million deal. This would give him an annual average salary of $35 million.

In 20 starts for the Giants, Snell had a 3.12 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, 145 strikeouts and tossed his first career no-hitter. That no-hitter was also his first career complete game and shutout. He put up strong overall numbers, but these numbers came after an extremely rocky start to his Giants tenure. 

When he returned from his second stint on the Injured List, Snell turned on his usual second-half jets and dominated the rest of the way. In his latter 14 starts of the season, he had a 1.23 ERA, held hitters to a .123 opponents average and struck out 114 batters over 80 1/3. 

Snell does have risks beyond his injuries. He’s one of the best late-season pitchers in the game, but he tends to struggle early on. Here’s his career ERA by month:

• March/April: 4.00
• May: 4.57
• June: 4.44
• July: 2.43
• August: 2.44
• September/October: 2.14

It’s those late-season runs that turned the tables in his favor for both of those Cy Young Awards. The early season struggles could be costly for the Braves, but if they decide the pros of the latter months outweigh the cons of the early months, then it is very worth it. 

Should Snell sign with the Braves, they’d have multiple Cy Young winners on the staff - assuming Chris Sale gets the Cy Young as expected. He might get to reunite with Charlie Morton as well if he returns. The two were in the Tampa Bay Rays rotation together in 2019 and 2020 - leading the team to an appearance in the World Series. 

For his career, Snell has a 3.19 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP and 1,368 strikeouts in 1,096 2/3 innings pitched. He took home his Cy Young Awards in 2018 (AL, Rays) and 2023 (NL, Padres).

To reiterate, this signing should complement the addition of a bat. The shortstop position is the biggest upgrade they need at this time. However, if they could land Snell and potentially his former teammate Willy Adames, the Braves would set themselves up nicely for a run in 2025.