San Francisco Giants Ace Predicted To Land $172 Million Deal in Free Agency

The San Francisco Giants left-hander could be in for a big pay day this winter.

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 San Francisco Giants have less than a week remaining with ace Blake Snell before he hits the open market.

Snell was looked at as someone who could return to the team just four months ago, but after impressing in a big way over the last two and a half months, all indications point to him opting out of his current deal.

There are reasons for Snell to feel confident heading into free agency for the second time in as many years.

However, there could also be some worries on his end. There's no debating the type of pitcher he is, but after winning the Cy Young Award last season and hitting free agency that winter, his market wasn't what it was expected to be.

After showing some of the same flaws he had last campaign during this year, specifically in the walk department, teams may be hesitant to give him the money he's looking for.

Farhan Zaidi, the Giants President of Baseball Operations, spoke about his upcoming free agency on Wednesday, highlighting what's to come.

"I think (he is) going to be a priority for everybody. I mean, he's been the best pitcher in baseball the second half of the season," Zaidi said, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports. "I just think he's going to go into free agency kind of the same way he did last offseason -- he wants to keep an open mind. We're very encouraged about what he has said about being here, how much he likes being here, how much he has enjoyed his time in San Francisco, how much he likes playing for Bob (Melvin). I think we'll be pretty high on his list but I think we're respecting the fact that he's going to want to play out free agency."

There's not much of an issue with Snell, the player.

Everyone around the baseball world understands that when he's at his best, there aren't many arms in the Big Leagues who can do what he does.

The issue, however, comes down to money.

31-years-old, the left-hander should get another contract after this one, but this will likely be his best chance to get big money.

Spotrac base calculated value has Snell earning a contract worth $172.6 million over six years, bringing his average annual value to $28.76 million.

$172.6 million is a lot of money to spend, but the two-time Cy Young Award winner has shown throughout his nine Big League seasons that he deserves that type of contract.

He's posted a 3.12 ERA, and that figure would be significantly lower if it hadn't been for a few rough starts at the beginning of the campaign.