The rumors all wound up being true: Blake Snell would take a two-year deal in the $60 million range, the Giants were probably the favorites now, and the pressure was on to get something done.
Per Jon Heyman, it two years with the Giants, $62 million, with an opt-out in the middle:
It’s an absolute bargain for the Giants, even when factoring in draft pick costs – they give up only their third-highest selection, since they already gave up their second-highest to sign Matt Chapman. Snell, for all the inconsistency, was an ace last year, and has been an ace before. The Giants are not likely to regret this deal, and even if they do, it won’t be for long.
Snell, 31, posted a ridiculous 2.25 ERA last year with the Padres en route to winning his second Cy Young award. That he threw just 180.0 innings and walked 13.3% of the batters he faced were among those warts and the reasons teams may have had concerns about giving him a very long-term deal. But this? Two years at a high AAV? Lots of teams should’ve wanted this, and now the Giants are all the better for the other clubs’ lack of courage.
Look, I don’t want to downplay the risks with Snell, and I’m not saying the entirety of the free agent market was wrong to be wary of coming anywhere close to $200 million. I thought those reported asks were ridiculous. If Snell’s strikeout rate regresses, then you’re looking at a guy who doesn’t manage contact at an elite level, walks a ton of guys, and categorically CANNOT face batters a third time through.
… but he can dominate for six innings on any night, and last year he did it constantly. Blake Snell is a guy you’d want in any rotation, and when the risk is limited to just two years, it doesn’t feel all that concerning.
The starting rotation was among the bigger weaknesses on the Giants, who probably won’t challenge the Dodgers atop the NL West, but are now all the more poised to be significant factors in the NL Wild Card race.
The other big lefty arm, Jordan Montgomery, is still out there …