San Francisco Giants Top Free Agent Priority Predicted To Walk in Offseason

The San Francisco Giants left-hander seems poised to leave in the offseason.

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

The San Francisco Giants answered one of their biggest offseason questions on Wednesday night, signing star third baseman Matt Chapman to a massive six-year, $150 million extension.

Chapman now has a deal to keep him with the Giants for the foreseeable future.

With the offseason approaching, Blake Snell is the one to look out for moving forward.

Snell, a player who could exceed Chapman's $150 million deal, should have options in the offseason. He had a tough free agency last offseason, signing late in Spring Training.

Coming off a Cy Young, the second in his career, it was surprising to see the lack of love for the left-hander.

However, many believe it'll be different this time around.

Snell has continued to show why he's one of the better pitchers in Major League Baseball, bouncing back well after a brutal start.

If it weren't for his tough start and the injuries he dealt with, there's a chance that Snell would've had another Cy Young-caliber campaign. Unfortunately for San Francisco and himself, that wasn't the case.

Nonetheless, his pending free agency is one of the biggest stories in baseball this winter.

Will he return to the Giants? Does another team blow him away with an offer? Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report predicted that he'd leave this offseason, highlighting him potentially being motivated to take a long-term deal this time after what happened last year.

"Snell, 31, struggled to a 9.51 ERA through his first six starts while making two trips to the injured list with an adductor strain and a groin strain, but he has been lights out since returning to action on July 9. In 10 starts since finally getting healthy, he has a 1.30 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 83 strikeouts in 62.1 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .117 average. After last offseason's debacle, he should be more motivated to take the first good long-term offer that comes along this winter, and that could make it difficult for the Giants to retain him."

Snell is 31 years old, which means this could be the final contract he receives in his MLB career. If it's only a three or four year deal, he'll likely get another one, but this seems to be the last chance for him to really cash in.

San Francisco has the money to get a deal done if they want to keep him around. However, with other high-end free agents on the market, they may turn their attention to someone else.

If so, they'll need to find a clear replacement.