Blake Snell to San Francisco? Giants Among Serious Candidates Amidst Lefty Ace’s Prolonged Free Agency

The sea of offseason has two ships that look identical. The Blake Snell and the San Francisco Giants. Both started their voyage expecting to find the elixir of life but ended up getting stranded on the sea. Why the Bay Bombers at least got themselves a few lifeboats, Snell’s ship is sailing without any breaks. But there’s an interesting connection between them that can help them both find the ground for success.

However, before finding the shore, the Giants and Snell must ensure that they fit each other completely. The process is long, and so is the excitement. So the Bay Area awaits Snellzilla anxiously because there are massive icebergs that the ace will have to cross first.

Bay Area calling but will Blake Snell answer? 

At the beginning of the offseason, a massive link between Snell and the Giants emerged. The Bay Bombers’ hunger for a star plus the delicious prospect of seeing Snell and Logan Webb together created massive curiosity among the fans. Unfortunately, those links died down, but recently they’ve emerged again – only this time the story is a little different.

MLB Network’s Mark Feinsand shared that “an NL executive predicted that the Giants…will sign Snell to pair with Logan Webb atop the rotation.” But this time, the Bay Bombers are entering from a position of strength. In the beginning, they were the team that was rejected by big stars repeatedly, but now they’ve exorcised some of those demons by signing the Korean superstar Lee Jung-Ho.

The Giants have even strengthened their pitching. The Bay Bombers have signed Jordan Hicks to a 4 year, $44 million contract and are hoping to turn the 27-year-old into a starting pitcher. All of this indicates that unlike before, the Giants do not need to sign Snell, but they do want to. Despite these additions, a pitching staff consisting of Snell, Webb, and Alex Cobb is enviable. 

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But if the need has turned into a want, would the Giants be ready to match the over $200 million asking price of Blake Snell? Especially as Farhan Zaidi may have some reservations regarding Snell’s performance.

A record deal on the table for the Giants?

The largest contract ever signed by the Giants was the 8-year, $167 million extension they gave to Buster Posey. Johnny Cueto’s 6-year $130 million remains the biggest free agent signing of the Bay Bombers. So the $200 million asking price of Snell is already much above the record levels of the Giants and that’s a fact that one needs to ponder over.

Especially as there are signs that President Farhan Zaidi has an issue with pitchers having a high walk rate and Snell topped the league last year with 99 walks given. Would Zaidi be willing to spend that much money on a player he isn’t fully in on? The answer looms large: will the Bay Area be the final port for Snell’s voyage?

Read more: Still Unsigned in Free Agency, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery in Danger of Missing Spring Training Now