Padres NL West Rival Emerging as Serious Threat for Free Agent Blake Snell

We can all hope that this doesn't come to fruition...

The San Diego Padres are expecting to lose starter Blake Snell in free agency this winter, despite his incredible 2023 season. As the team tries to shed salary, Snell doesn't make a lot of sense to commit long-term to on the books. 

Snell was great last season, posting an ERA of 2.25 and a WHIP of 1.19. He was virtually unhittable at times, helping him win the National League Cy Young award.

Now, he enters into the open market, with the expectation of receiving a massive payday. We haven't heard a lot on the market for Snell, but it seems that one NL West rival could very much be in play for his services.

MLB Insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post is reporting that the San Francisco Giants could become a player for Snell if they miss out on some of their other free-agent targets.

"The Giants could be a player for NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell, especially if they don’t land Yamamoto. He’s a Dodger killer, with a lifetime 13-2 record and 2.59 ERA against LA."

Per

Jon Heyman of The New York Post

His familiarity with former Padres manager Bob Melvin could come into play here. Melvin loved Snell during his time in San Diego, and he may push for the team to land him.

This would be less than ideal for the Padres, but it's the risk that they took by letting Melvin head to a division rival. Having to see Snell multiple times for the next few years would make the breakup especially tough on Padres fans, so the hope is that he goes elsewhere. 

The Giants could create one of the better one-two punches in the league with Snell and right-hander Logan Webb, so it makes sense why they could go all in on Snell.