Blake Snell Sounds As Good As Gone From the Padres

Thanks for everything, Blake.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Blake Snell put together an incredible 2023 season, and it should lead him to win his second Cy Young Award. He was virtually unhittable at times throughout the season, and now he will enter free agency, expected to land a massive contract.

It has been reported for some time now, but Snell isn’t likely to return to San Diego next season. The Padres don’t want to pay him what it would take to retain his services, and they may be looking to cut some payroll after a frustrating year.

President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller gave an update on Snell, and it all but seems that he will leave San Diego this winter.

Of Snell, he added: "There’s high interest from the organization in terms of having a pitcher like Blake in our rotation."

Per AJ Cassavell of Padres Beat

The "like Blake" comments are the most telling from Peller, and it signals that they don't plan to retain him. If Snell does walk, the team would need to fill the massive gap in their rotation this offseason.

Snell posted an ERA of 2.25 and a WHIP of 1.19 on the season. He also added in 234 strikeouts over 180 innings of work as well.

He was special in 2023 and was one of the only few things that went right for the Padres. Snell won't be easy to replace, but San Diego has to have a plan up their sleeves if they are allowing him to leave in free agency for nothing.

It will be interesting to see what the Padres have in store for this offseason, as they look to get themselves back into a place of contention. The team has never been shy to make aggressive moves, and surely they likely won't stop this year either.