San Francisco Giants Projected to Lose Free-Agent Ace to AL East Franchise

The San Francisco Giants hope to make one big push to try and re-sign one of their top pitchers from 2024.

Sep 17, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Blake Snell (7) throws a second inning pitch against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants are heading into the offseason seeking to improve after several years of mediocrity. 

After another disappointing season, the Giants hope to make significant improvements this offseason to help bolster the roster. With legendary catcher Buster Posey now the president of baseball operations, the hope is that he can recruit some of the best free agents to San Francisco. 

Last offseason, the Giants brought in some big names, as they signed both Matt Chapman and Blake Snell to deals which included options. Both players performed well, but Chapman opted to sign a massive extension with San Francisco.

For Snell, after a really strong second half of the year, he elected to opt out and test free agency again. 

As one of the top pitchers on the market, the southpaw should have more suitors than he did last offseason. 

Recently, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report predicted that Snell would head to the Boston Red Sox on a four-year, $140 million deal. His logic is that Boston has a need and the money.

This long list of suitors is courtesy of (MLB.com's Mark) Feinsand and Katie Woo of The Athletic. And since Snell could sign for $100 million less than his rumored $240 million asking price from last winter, it might actually be too short. But to pick just one, Boston is a team to watch. Its rotation needs an ace, and it should suit them that A) Snell isn't tied to draft compensation and B) he likely won't need a long-term deal.

The Red Sox being linked to the southpaw makes a lot of sense for both sides. Starting pitching was a weakness for Boston in 2024. While Snell got off to a really tough start to the campaign due to missing spring training and suffering an injury. But he bounced back nicely in the second half, threw a no-hittr and looked like the two-time Cy Young winner he's been in the past. 

In the second half of the season, the left-hander totaled a 5-0 record, 1.45 ERA, and 103 strikeouts in 12 starts. While Snell doesn’t have the reputation of going deep into games, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball in the second half of the year. 

While Snell was a good pitcher for half the season, the Giants need to focus assets on improving a lineup that wasn’t that strong last year. It appears as if the left-hander's time in San Francisco will be a short one.