San Francisco Giants Ace Predicted to Wear Different Jersey Next Season

The an Francisco Giants could lose their ace in the offseason if he opts out of his contract.

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

As more and more reports come out, it seems likely that Blake Snell will opt out of his player option in the offseason. The San Francisco Giants signed him in the 2023-24 offseason to a one-year, $32 million deal with a player option.

Snell has impressed over the past few months and should be in line to get a massive contract.

The Giants could re-sign him to a long-term deal, which might make sense given what he's shown. However, if they're in the mix for a player like Juan Soto or other big free-agent hitters, spending that money elsewhere might be the better decision.

Snell, 31, is only getting older. 

His free agency last offseason was interesting. After winning the NL Cy Young Award, the expectation was for him to get a long-term deal from a contending team. He went to a contending team in San Francisco, but the years and money weren't near what many of the industry's top analysts predicted. 

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report believes it'll be different this time, predicting that Snell will play for a new team in 2025.

"For as disastrous as Blake Snell's first half as a San Francisco Giant was at times, he's been as good as any pitcher since the All-Star break, with a 1.66 ERA over seven starts, including a no-hitter on Aug. 2 against the Cincinnati Reds. The 31-year-old will almost certainly opt out of the final season of his two-year deal with the Giants and return to free agency. Yes, that will mean passing up on a $38.5 million salary in 2025, although $15 million of that is deferred to 2027 and he figures to get a much larger total guarantee on the open market."

If Snell has similar issues in this offseason, he could be passing up a whole lot of money. Because of that, he may accept his player option and pitch for the Giants again in 2025 to avoid any risk.

He hasn't been as dominant in years past due to his slow start, but he's lowered his ERA to 3.76. He owns a 1.11 WHIP and has struck out 106 hitters in 79.0 innings pitched.

For now, he remains in San Francisco and will be a big part of their rotation as they look to make the postseason. 5.5 games out of the third Wild Card spot in the National League, the Giants are running out of time.

With Snell expected to throw in another couple of games, they need to win when he's on the bump.