Los Angeles Dodgers Among Top Landing Spots for San Francisco Giants Ace

The San Francisco Giants losing their Cy Young Award winner to the Los Angeles Dodgers would be a tough blow.

Aug 23, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; San Francisco Giants starter Blake Snell (7) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. / Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

When the San Francisco Giants signed Blake Snell to a contract with an opt-out after the first year, the expectation was for him to potentially leave in free agency.

Fast forward to about nine months later, and it looks likely he'll do just that.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported over the weekend that Snell will "exercise his opt-out clause," meaning the Giants will have some work to do in terms of replacing or re-signing him.

"Giants ace Blake Snell, after a horrific first half, will exercise his opt-out clause after yielding a 2.08 ERA with 63 strikeouts and a no-hitter in his last eight starts. One thing's for sure: Snell won't wait until spring training to sign this time around."

It's tough to get a feel for what he might get in free agency.

After winning his second Cy Young Award and not having as big of a market as many around the industry expected, who's to say this time around will be any different?

However, if one thing is for certain, as Nightengale alluded to, he likely won't wait until spring training to sign this offseason.

If the left-hander does indeed hit the open market again, many contending teams are expected to be interested in his services.

Bleacher Report recently ranked the top 10 landing spots for San Francisco's ace, listing the Los Angeles Dodgers among those teams.

The Dodgers were ranked No. 4, right in front of the Giants at No. 5.

Not only would losing Snell be a tough blow for San Francisco's rotation, but losing him to a division and in-state rival would be a massive problem.

As Los Angeles has shown over the past few offseasons, their ownership group is willing to spend as much as necessary to put together a competitive team.

After struggling for an extended period the beginning of this campaign, the Seattle native has been lights out in recent outings. He has a 3.76 ERA and has struck out 106 hitters in 79 innings pitched.

There's also always a possibility he'll return to the Giants.

San Francisco has been willing to spend money in most scenarios over the past few winters, so that finances shouldn't be too much of an issue. However, if they get involved with some of the other top free agents on the market, it might make sense to allow him to walk.

Whether that'd be the right decision remains to be seen over the next few months.