San Francisco Giants Blake Snell Lands Ideal Contract in Recent Prediction

The San Francisco Giants ace would be had at a decent prize from this free agency prediction.

Sep 17, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell (7) throws a second-inning pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The expectation around Major League Baseball is for Blake Snell to receive a long-term contract in free agency. Whether that'll be with the San Francisco Giants remains to be seen, but there's a possibility that he'll return to the Bay Area. 

From the Giants' perspective, bringing Snell back wouldn't be the wrong decision. In fact, it might be a good one. Sure, his contract might end up being a bit expensive, but when the left-hander is at the top of his game, he's been one of the best arms in Major League Baseball. 

That comes with a price, and there are other areas that San Francisco has to focus on, but having an ace-caliber arm at the top of a rotation like Snell won't be easy to replace. 

Snell, however, will have multiple suitors who might be willing to spend more on him than the Giants. 

Depending on his potential contract, San Francisco might believe he's worth the money he's seeking. In the latest prediction from Tim Britton of The Atheltic, Snell landed a four-year, $110 million deal, which would be a fair price to pay for a two-time Cy Young Award winner. 

"So here we are again. Snell is back on the market, and while he isn’t coming off a Cy Young campaign this go-around, his value in free agency should be close to what it was last winter. Snell recovered from a brutal start to his time in San Francisco, likely influenced by his late signing, to turn in another ridiculous second half. Over the last two years, in games started from July 1 on, Snell’s team is 24-6 and he has pitched to a 1.29 ERA. You’ll live with the slow starts to the season and the occasional in-game inconsistency for those bottom-line results later in the year. The left-hander owns the sport’s second-best strikeout rate for a starter over the last five years, and when he's on, he possesses unhittable stuff."

Surprisingly, the Seattle native didn't have the type of market he was expected to last winter. That doesn't look to be the case this time around, but if it is, the Giants would benefit from that again.

If he believes he'd be better off taking a short-term deal again, San Francisco needs to be in play.

If he's looking for $150 million or more, it's likely better to sit things out. He's elite, but there are some concerns about his walk issues and how that translates as he ages.