San Francisco Giants Starter Declining $30 Million Option ‘An Easy Decision’

The San Francisco Giants ace is expected to opt out of his current deal this winter.

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

All signs point to Blake Snell of the San Francisco Giants opting out of his player option.

If Snell decides to do so, he'll hit the open market and likely have the best opportunity that he's had in his career to get paid.

Not only could this be his best chance, but it'll also potentially be his last opportunity to earn big money. 

There are a lot of factors that play into how his free agency will play out.

On one hand, the Giants would be wise to offer him a new contract. They saw what he could do over much of the past few months, and despite his slow start, he's still been one of the better arms in Major League Baseball. 

However, with a team with as many holes as San Francisco, there's also a strong argument that they shouldn't pay him what he's looking for and try to add multiple pieces for the price of one. 

If he decides to opt out of his contract, he could potentially be losing out on $30 million.

An offseason ago, after winning his second Cy Young Award, the expectation was for him to be paid handsomely. Instead, his free agency didn't go as planned, and he didn't sign with the Giants until late in the offseason. 

It's uncertain if there are any worries about that potentially happening again from his perspective, but if the rumors become true, he isn't too worried about being a free agent. 

Because of that, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report believes him turning down his $30 million player option in 2025 is "an easy decision."

"Snell struggled to a 9.51 ERA in six starts over the first three months of the season while navigating adductor and groin strains, but he has been lights out since getting healthy. In 13 starts since he returned from the injured list on July 9, he has a 1.33 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 105 strikeouts in 74.1 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .125 average. That should make declining his $30 million player option for 2025 an easy decision."

It's not the craziest suggestion to say that he'd be wise to opt out of his current deal. However, it's important to note that many of the same struggles he had in 2023, given teams were hesitant to pay him then, are also persistent in 2024.

That's mostly his walk numbers. He walked 99 hitters a year ago and has walked 43 this campaign.

43 walks wouldn't be many with a normal workload, but he's thrown in just 98.0 innings.

If he feels confident in himself, he's proven time and time again to prove any doubters wrong. If that's the case, expect him to dominate wherever he goes.