San Francisco Giants Make Right Decision Letting Top Free-Agent Leave

The San Francisco Giants made the right decision to let Blake Snell leave considering what contract he received

Sep 5, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell (7) catches the ball during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park. / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Free agency has started off with a bang for the San Francisco Giants, as they recently saw their top free-agent head to their arch rival. 

Coming into the offseason, the Giants knew that they were going to have a lot of work to do. With their new President of Baseball operations Buster Posey, the goal has been to improve a franchise that has missed the playoffs for three straight seasons and has fallen behind in the National League West. 

One player who San Francisco knew was going to be a hot commodity from their team in 2024 was starting pitcher Blake Snell. The Giants were able to sign the two-time Cy Young award winner to a very friendly contract just before spring training last season. 

However, likely due to the strange offseason and the lack of preparation, the southpaw got off to a really poor start to the season. After the All-Star break, when he got his feet under him, Snell became the pitcher the Giants expected him to be, as he had a (5-0) record and an ERA under 2.00 in the second half of the season. 

With a player option for 2025, Snell wisely declined that after the great second half, knowing he would get more guaranteed money in free agency. 

Well, that decision paid off, as Snell signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The 31-year-old signing with the Dodgers is certainly a tough pill to swallow for the Giants, but letting him walk could be the best thing for them. 

While the Giants do have hopes of a quick turnaround with Posey in charge, that is still unlikely. This could be a couple of year process for them to get the team in place to truly compete with a team like the Dodgers or the San Diego Padres. Even though Snell is a great pitcher and would help them win games, this is a team that needs a lot more. 

If the Giants were to bring Snell back at the number that he signed with Los Angeles, that likely would have meant that they would have made very minimal upgrades to a lineup that desperately needs to improve. 

Also, the move by the Dodgers to bring in Snell and pay them what they are paying him is to help them win more World Series now. That more than likely wouldn’t have been a realistic thing to expect for San Francisco, and by the time they were ready to, the left-hander might not be the same caliber of pitcher. 

Even though it might feel like a tough blow for the Giants, it could be what’s best for them in the long-run if they allocate their resources to the right areas.