San Francisco Giants Would Be Crazy To Make This Trade

Trading Blake Snell would be a massive mistake for the San Francisco Giants.

Jul 14, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell delivers a pitch. / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

The MLB Trade Deadline is only a few days away, and the San Francisco Giants appear poised to sell. They enter this weekend's series against the Colorado Rockies 5.5 games out of a playoff spot and six games below .500. Barring a sudden hot streak, it's probably time to start planning for next year.

That means trading veterans for prospects and trying to strengthen the team for 2025 and beyond. What that shouldn't mean, however, is moving on from Blake Snell.

Snell is drawing major trade interest ahead of the deadline, which isn't surprising. Not only is he a two-time Cy Young winner, but he's also pitching his best baseball of the season right now.

While the Giants could probably get a nice prospect haul for Snell, trading him now could easily backfire.

Blake Snell reportedly is drawing "significant" trade interest ahead of next week's deadline👀https://t.co/j4YSktUYmA

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 26, 2024

For starters, Snell will probably be back next year. The 31-year-old lefty will likely pick up his $30 million player option for 2025 after missing time with injury and struggling for much of 2024. Rather than test the free agent market again after last offseason's painful experience, he'll likely come back on his player option and try to parlay a better season into a bigger contract.

Accordingly, Snell should still be around to help San Francisco in 2025. If the Giants are out of it next summer, that becomes the time to trade him, but parting ways now seems a tad premature, especially with the third Wild Card spot still a possibility.

On a similar note, Snell's contract is relatively affordable. While he hasn't earned his $32 million salary this year, he could very well earn his $30 million contract next year if he stays healthy. Dumping his salary seems appealing, but it would also blow a gaping hole in the rotation.

Lastly, Snell is finally hitting his stride for San Francisco. He's given up just two runs and six hits in 18 innings over his last three starts combined, providing a glimpse of the ace the Giants thought they were getting. Based on his recent performance and age, betting on Snell to bounce back in 2025 seems reasonable.

If San Francisco wants to contend in 2025 or still try to make a belated playoff push this year, trading Snell doesn't make much sense. He's not the problem anymore, and dumping him after half a season isn't the answer.