San Francisco Giants Predicted to Re-Sign Cy Young Ace in Free Agency

At least one one expert believes the San Francisco Giants will be able to bring back their superstar ace in free agency.

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The San Francisco Giants have the misfortune this winter of one of the top available free-agent arms on the market coming from their roster and every pitching-needy team in baseball will be after his services.

Blake Snell made the decision to opt out of the two-year deal he signed with the Giants last winter, a decision that saw Snell leave $30 million on the table.

But while the two-time Cy Young winner took his time last year and ended up with a short-term deal, long-term security is what he is after this time around coming off a dominant three-month stretch to finish the season.

The predictions on where Snell will end up have been mixed and he certainly is seeing all of his options in the process by meeting with interested teams. He and his agent, Scott Boras, have already met with two large-market teams.

To this point, San Francisco still seems to have a good chance to retain him. Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball predicted Snell will stay with the Giants on a five-year, $155 million deal that narrowly exceeds the AAV that he walked away from in the opt out.

The second half of Snell's season was, frankly, incredible. It coincided with him finally getting healthy, which cost him weeks on the injured list through the end of June. Once the left-hander returned for good, he threw a no-hitter and managed an MLB-best 1.23 ERA in his final 14 starts.

Early on in the 2024 season, Snell looked to be a guarantee to opt in after a brutal start that featured a double-digit ERA and a stint on the injured list. It appeared the Giants were going to be stuck with a Snell that looked to be a shell of his former self.

But that second half put the two-time Cy Young winner back on the opt-out path.

It was reported earlier this week that Snell has already met with some larger market teams including both the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco's bitter rival Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Giants will have their say as well before it's all said and done.

Of note is that Dodgers leadership includes Andrew Friedman, who was part of the leadership in Tampa Bay that drafted Snell into pro baseball.

If the team can get him to stay, Snell will slot in at the top of the Giants rotation for many years to come.