San Francisco Giants Among Suitors for $63 Million Blake Snell Replacement

The San Francisco Giants could use the left-hander to give them good production next year.

Sep 5, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell (7) signals to the catcher during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park. / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

If the San Francisco Giants lose Blake Snell this winter, the front office will be tasked with finding a replacement. Doing so would be tough, but there are options out there to at least give them innings.

Unless they're willing to sign any of the top pitchers on the market, the Giants shouldn't expect to have a much better arm than Snell walking through the door in 2025. There's a reason why he's viewed as arguably the top arm in baseball when he's at his best, and the second half of the campaign proved that.

He struggled a bit during parts of San Francisco's season. However, once he got healthy and got going, his stuff was as good as ever.

For the Giants, that's a positive, but they also have to realize that a price comes with it. As a result, he'll likely be on his way out, and replacing him should be at the top of their priority list.

Among the players who could replace him is Yusei Kikcuhi, who Tim Britton of The Athletic named San Francisco a fit for.

Britton predicted that Kikuchi would get $63 million over three years.

"Many questioned the Astros at the trade deadline for giving up a valuable three-prospect package for Kikuchi, who, at the time, had a 4.75 ERA with the Blue Jays. With the Astros, though, Kikuchi threw fewer curveballs and more sliders, and he delivered a 2.70 ERA over the season’s final two months. His free agent value might depend on whether teams believe that late-season change had unlocked a higher level. Prior to the end of last season, Kikuchi had been more steady than sensational. He was an All-Star in 2021 but finished that season with a slightly below-average 93 ERA+, and he has an underwhelming 91 ERA+ for his career. The past two seasons, though, Kikuchi has an above-average 105 ERA+ while making 32 starts each year."

That's a lot of money for a left-handed arm who hasn't been elite throughout his career. If they take away what he did in the second half of last year, he's an above 4.0 ERA arm.

So, comparing him to Snell would be unfair, as the two are in different universes.

However, he's been reliable throughout the past few campaigns, and if they're looking for a workhorse, there aren't many better options on the market. It'll be interesting to see what type of starter they want, but he could fit the description of a guy they'd like to have.