Blake Snell Tops Off-Season Yankees List, Despite $240 Million Demands Ending Bombers’ Interest

It’s absurd how the Cy Young winner Blake Snell remains unsigned just two weeks before the Spring Training. It’s a surprising outcome for a premier free agent. At the same time, there are the New York Yankees who would love an elite addition like Blake Snell, but till now, they’ve remained as separate with Snell as day is from the night. What can bring a dawn for this connection?

There could be, but it’ll be a messy affair. Both sides are adamant about their beliefs and are clear about their wants. A compromise is the need of the hour, but is enormously good suitability enough to change the minds of Scott Boras and Brian Cashman? 

A compromise or an opportunity? 

Before January, there were little to no links between the Pinstripes and Snell. Once Yankees’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s pursuit failed, the Bombers started opening up to other options, and in came Blake Snell. The two-time Cy Young Winner stole the fancy of the Yankees, who offered him a six-year, $150 million contract which Snell rejected. While talks died down, according to The Athletic – Snell remains the most suitable free agent for the Yankees.

The Athletic noted how Snell’s presence could be beneficial. For starters, he’d provide the Yankees with a great arm, that even at his worst is an above-average pitcher. This would reduce the desperate need of the Pinstripes to get Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes back to their best as soon as possible. 

But during their description, the source put forth an interesting idea – “A shorter-term deal is what the Yankees should be looking for if they were to get back in the Snell sweepstakes.” There have been rumblings for a long time that Snell’s demand would increase multifold if he reduced the number of years from his deal. 

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Despite being a two-time Cy Young winner, Snell is a 31-year-old with a growing injury list. This is why his initial expectations of a 9-year, $270 million deal were met with a shock. But while a shorter-term deal would suit everyone, would Boras and Snell like it?

Desirable yet unlikely – The Blake Snell dilemma 

According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand – Snell was looking for a deal that’s at least over $200 million. This high price would make a short-term deal highly unlikely as the AAV would just skyrocket. The Yankees are already over the taxation threshold and are set to pay 110% for every dollar they spend. This is a huge issue and perhaps the main reason why the Bombers didn’t go above $150 million for Snell.

Snell and Boras to0 have shown no intentions of slowing down till now. The super agent has remained firm in his stance and has constantly sold the high benchmarks that his client has set. So with both parties having their own reasons and dilemmas, this free agency remains a big head scratcher. 

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