MLB Insider Reveals How Robust the Market Was for San Francisco Giants Ace

The market was certainly looking for the San Francisco Giants to trade away their ace based on the report by an MLB insider.

Apr 19, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants catcher Tom Murphy (19) and pitcher Blake Snell (7) talk before the pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning at Oracle Park / John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Ahead of the MLB trade deadline that passed on Wednesday, the San Francisco Giants had two real options they could have taken heading into the final two months of the year.

Because they are on the outside of the playoffs looking in, they could have really taken advantage of the sellers' market and offloaded plenty of pieces to get a massive return back that would set them up for the future.

But, that's not what the organization had in mind when they were big spenders this offseason.

Instead, they made a couple deals to free themselves up financially while holding onto many of their moveable players, hoping they can get hot down the stretch and get into the playoffs via a Wild Card spot.

It shouldn't be a huge surprise that this was their course of action considering president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi is reportedly on the hot seat if they aren't playing fall baseball.

Still, they likely would have gotten back a haul if they had decided to shop Blake Snell, and according to MLB insider Jon Heyman, there were plenty of teams interested in acquiring him.

"Let me get to the teams that actually called on Snell ... Yankees, Orioles, Cubs, Padres, Dodgers, Rangers," he said on "B/R Walk-Off."

Heyman discussed why some of those deals didn't go through from the opposing teams' perspective, citing the ace's upcoming player option as a reason why they ultimately shied away from giving up the package it would have taken for San Francisco to part with the star left-hander.

Considering how elite Snell has been since coming back from his second injured list stint, it was probably much harder for this front office, who has tons of pressure on them, to give up a starting pitcher who can anchor this rotation.

Whether it's overconfidence or not, the Giants believe they can get into the playoffs.

For much of the year, they have felt like they are just a couple of things going their way from being right back into the Wild Card mix, and with Snell performing the way he currently is, he will give them a major boost like they didn't have before.

Ultimately this decision will be looked back on favorably or unfavorably in a couple months when San Francisco is either competing in the playoffs or sitting at home watching.

If holding onto Snell is what allowed them to make the postseason, then there are many who will consider holding onto him as a smart move, even if they lose him in free agency for nothing.

The Giants put all their chips into the center of the table.

It's up to them to deliver.