Two-Time Cy Young Pitcher Says Seattle Mariners Never Called Him This Offseason
Two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell says the Seattle Mariners never called him this past offseason when he was a free agent, despite his thinking that they would at least check in.
He made the comments on the "Foul Territory" podcast on Monday:
Blake Snell says he never got a call from Seattle during the offseason.
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 5, 2024
"I thought they would at least call, but nothing." pic.twitter.com/4Y9wHpAvhP
While Snell never said he "definitely" wanted to play for the Mariners, he is a Seattle native who expressed interest in having conversations with his hometown team on multiple ocassions. Snell ended up waiting deep into spring training before ultimately signing with the San Francisco Giants.
For several reasons, not even checking in on Snell seems like organizational malpractice by the Mariners. Here's why:
He's a Seattle native:
Look, simply being from Seattle doesn't automatically warrant a contract, but so often, Seattle's isolated nature seems to hurt it with free agents. In this case, it wouldn't have hurt it. To at least check in with a guy who's from your area and seemingly wants to play for you is the right thing to do. Perhaps Snell would have taken a hometown discount to play for the Mariners, perhaps he would have taken less years to do it too. That's not likely, but you never know unless you try.
He could have opened up options:
The Mariners elected to move on from Robbie Ray this offseason, bringing in Mitch Haniger in a deal with the Giants. If the team had signed Snell, that could have given them even more options this past offseason. While some would prefer to keep youngsters like Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo over signing Snell, it's undeniable that if you brought in Snell, you could have used Miller or Woo as a trade chip to get an offensive piece that you really needed. Was it the best option? Not necessarily, but it was an option the team didn't explore.
Snell is also quite good:
The guy just won the Cy Young last year with the San Diego Padres. How do you not at least make a phone call? The money could have gotten quite uncomfortable for Seattle, and it may have made sense to not go into money-altering waters, but Cy Young winners don't come on the market every day. You have to at least inquire.
Snell is 72-58 for his career with a 3.26 ERA. He won the Cy Young for the Rays in 2018 as well. He also helped Tampa get to the World Series in 2020.
The Mariners are 59-54 and leading the American League West by 1.5 games.
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