Padres News: Blake Snell Sits in Top 5 of Offseason MLB Free Agents List

The Friars ace is set to cash in this offseason.
Padres News: Blake Snell Sits in Top 5 of Offseason MLB Free Agents List
Padres News: Blake Snell Sits in Top 5 of Offseason MLB Free Agents List /
In this story:

Coming into this season, inconsistency was a main word that could be used to describe Blake Snell's Padres tenure. 

For as good as he could look at times, there were plenty of other occasions when the left-handed pitcher would lose his command and become a liability for his team -- in stark contrast to his time with the Tampa Bay Rays, with whom he won the AL Cy Young Award in 2018.

At the start of season, it looked like it would be more of the same for Snell, as he had an ERA in the 5's in May. 

For a hurler in a contract year, it looked like he was destined to ponder what could've been when this offseason comes around. 

Since June though, Snell's turned his fortunes entirely. 

He leads MLB with a 2.61 ERA, and looks at long last like the ace that the Padres traded for in 2020. 

And that perfectly timed 180 may see Snell cashing in handsomely this winter. 

The 30-year-old was listed as the No. 3 free agent in this offseason's class by Jim Bowden of The Athletic, and Bowden made sure to mention Snell's rise of late.

"After a subpar start, Snell has put together a stellar season, posting a major-league-leading 2.61 ERA with 164 strikeouts in 124 innings. He’s struck out 10 or more five times this year and has lowered his ERA by nearly three runs since May 19, when he had a 5.40 mark. His stock is flying up teams’ free-agent rankings. How much so? Well, just as an indication: When I ranked this class of free agents in May, I had Snell at No. 14; three months later, he’s up to No. 3."

It's been a down year for San Diego in 2023, but their bright spot in a dim season may not only get his second Cy Young Award if he keeps his play up, he could very well be looking at a significant contract in just a few short months.


Published
Matt Wagner
MATT WAGNER

Matt Wagner was born and raised in southern California, and he lived there before moving to Colorado and getting his B.A. in Communications from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2022. He relocated back to southern California in 2023 and is looking forward to covering the teams that mean so much to his home area. Some of his past work is in Bleacher Report, Dodgers Tailgate, and, most recently, Colorado Buffaloes Wire. Aside from writing, you can probably catch him petting the nearest dog or eating some good Mexican food.