San Francisco Giants Ace Garnering Interest from Two Large-Market Teams

The San Francisco Giants are going to have some serious competition if they want to retain their ace.

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The San Francisco Giants are going to have some serious competition from some of the most spend-happy teams in baseball if they want to retain their free agent ace.

According to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Giants star Blake Snell has already had recent meetings both with the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, two teams who will be willing to shell out huge contracts for a new ace at the top of their respective rotations.

There are good reasons for both teams to be in on Snell. Rosenthal notes that an ace is a bigger need for Boston than chasing a slugger like Juan Soto. Plus, Snell being a left-hander counter-balances a rotation full of right-handers.

As for the Dodgers, there is a notable connection, as Rosenthal pointed out. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was running the Rays when Tampa Bay selected Snell 52nd overall in 2011.

The Red Sox have been plagued by the need of a true ace for years as the team has finished in the bottom half of the league in team ERA for the third season in a row, all years that have ended in Boston missing the postseason.

The Dodgers meanwhile are obviously coming off a World Series title, but there is still an urgent need for them to add to the rotation after finishing No. 13 in team ERA in 2024 and with the impending free agencies of both Walker Buehler and Jack Flaherty.

Rosenthal also reported that the Toronto Blue Jays are pursuing the services of the two-time Cy Young winner and hope to set up a meeting of their own in the near future. If the Giants do lose out on Snell, they would surely much rather him go across the country in the American League rather than staying in the division and pitching for their biggest rival in Los Angeles.

Snell's tenure in San Francisco got off to a rough start with a double-digit ERA through the first two months of the season and a stint on the injured list. After his return however, Snell was arguably the best pitcher in baseball down the stretch, positing a 1.13 ERA over the last three months of the season.

After opting out of the two-year deal he signed with the Giants last winter, Snell is surely looking to secure a long-term contract that compensates him as one of the highest-paid hurlers in the league.

Snell returning to San Francisco is certainly not out of the question yet. But by the sounds of it, the left-handed veteran has a strong market building already.