Blаke Snell, the number twо pitching free аgent, hаs seen аn uptick in interest since lаst mоnth, when Yоshinоbu Yаmаmоtо, the best free аgency pitcher this оffseаsоn, signed with the Lоs аngeles Dоdgers. Snell hаs been linked tо severаl teаms recently, including the Red Sоx, Phillies, Giаnts, аnd аngels. Rumоr hаs it thаt the Yаnkees hаve extended аn оffer tо sign the left-hаnded pitcher. Detаils оn thаt оffer were prоvided by Bоb Nightengаle оf USа Tоdаy. аccоrding tо Nightengаle, Snell’s cаmp wаs hоping fоr “аt leаst $240MM” this winter, but the Yаnkees’ оffer wаs “neаrly $100MM” lоwer thаn thаt.
In the time since those initial rumors began circulating, the Giants have strengthened their rotations with the signings of Robbie Ray and Jordan Hicks, respectively, and the Yankees have strengthened their starting five with the addition of Marcus Stroman. This might cause the Giants to no longer be interested in Snell. After those additions, it’s hard to tell if either club is still interested in Snell as a starting pitcher, but they’re certainly in a better position than they were a few weeks ago. Regardless of whether those two clubs are no longer interested in signing Snell, Nightengale claims that “several” teams are still in contact with Snell’s representatives in the hopes that his high transfer fee would decrease throughout the winter. More specifically, he says that all through Snell’s free agency, the Blue Jays “have been quietly monitoring” him.
Snell would be surprisingly well-suited to Toronto. The club, which was a finalist in the Yamamoto sweepstakes, appears to have avoided a more broad free agency pursuit of pitchers this winter in favor of adding depth to a lineup that saw the departure of Whit Merrifield, Matt Chapman, and Brandon Belt due to free agency. This comes after the 2023 underperformance of key bats like George Springer, Alejandro Kirk, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In contrast, the Blue Jays’ starting pitching was a strong suit last season, thanks to superstar right-hander Kevin Gausman and solid returns from injured Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Berrios.
Having said that, the Blue Jays’ аggressive bid for Shohei Ohtani last month demonstrated their winter spending power, and the club’s acquisition of Kevin Kiermaier and Isiah Kiner-Falefa makes a strong pursuit of Cody Bellinger or Chapman, the top two positional free agents this offseason, less probable than it might have been earlier in the winter. Acquiring Snell may solidify Toronto’s position as one of the top rotations in the league, given the team’s financial flexibility and lack of obvious free agent targets. Joining fellow National League Cy Young Award winner Aroldis Gausman at the top of the club’s rotation would be a dream team. Snell led the majors with a stellar 2.25 ERA in 180 innings of work last season.
The Jays are short on defensive depth since veteran southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu left for free agency in November, so adding Snell to their roster would be a smart move. The club’s rotation is solid on paper, but if Kikuchi or Berrios have a down season or if Alek Manoah has more problems than he had in 2023, the club may not be able to make it out of the AL East next season with a postseason place. Despite being one of the most dependable starters in the game’s middle rotation in recent years, Chris Bassitt set a career high with 200 frames in 33 games last year and will be entering his age-35 season in 2024. Adding another quality piece to the rotation, like Snell, would alleviate some of the pressure on Rickey Tiedemann, a 21-year-old pitcher with only four innings of Triple-A experience heading into what could be his rookie season. Tiedemann could provide depth to the club’s starting five this coming season.
The club may be more concerned with bolstering their struggling offense with a batsman than they are with pursuing a pitcher, especially since they have a strong free agent class next offseason that is expected to feature оffensive stars like Juan Soto, Jose Altuve, and Alex Bregman. If Nightengale is to be believed, the Blue Jays aren’t interested in signing Snell at his current, high asking price. Even if the price were to decrease, a club that needs a new rotation, like the Red Sox or the Angels, would likely have more motivation to outbid Toronto. If the Blue Jays are looking to bolster their rotation without going over budget, a versatile hurler like Alex Wood, Jakob Junis, or the long-rumored Yariel Rodriguez could give them that depth while still allowing them to pursue free agents like Chapman, Bellinger, or any of the top prospects next winter.