San Francisco Giants Ace Predicted to Sign with Division Rival

Could the San Francisco Giants see Blake Snell head to a division rival?

Sep 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell (7) pitches during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants are preparing for a very important offseason, as the franchise is now being led by Buster Posey as the President of Baseball Operations. 

After missing the playoffs for three straight years, ownership decided that it was time for a change and that Posey would be able to turn things around. 

It is not going to be an overnight fix for the Giants, as they have a few areas where they need to find improvements. 

In addition to looking for added help, they will also have one of their top pitchers likely hitting free agency. Blake Snell will likely be declining his player option this offseason, as he will be one of the top pitchers on the market. 

Even though the southpaw didn’t have a great season with San Francisco, he had a really strong second half of the campaign. The left-hander started the season behind the eight-ball by signing just before the season started. 

He will likely be trying to avoid that this offseason, and he should also be able to get the long-term deal he desires. Recently, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report spoke about the San Diego Padres being a great landing spot for Snell. 

“Well, here we go again, because it is very likely Snell will decline his option to return to the Giants in 2025 and will be easily a top-five free agent. And when that happens, a reunion with the San Diego Padres makes a ton of sense. They didn't want to do it last winter because they were in cost-cutting mode and felt pretty good about their rotation following the Soto trade. But with Joe Musgrove destined to miss all of 2025 following Tommy John surgery while Dylan Cease and Michael King are in their final year of arbitration eligibility, bringing Snell back home on a semi-long-term deal could be the play.”

It was another excellent season for the Padres in 2024, as they reached the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and unfortunately, just came up short. 

However, a reunion with Snell could make a lot of sense for a team that has a need now in the starting rotation with Joe Musgrove out with Tommy John surgery. 

In three seasons with San Diego, the southpaw was excellent, especially in 2023, as he won the National League Cy Young. Since the Padres have a superb core in place and are capable of winning now, a reunion with Snell makes a lot of sense.