The New York Mets have been heavily involved in pursuing Yoshinobu Yamamoto since the star pitcher opened up his free agency availability. From finding a Japanese connection to the ace to Cohen actively seeking him and his family out, the team has left no stone unturned. However, per recent reports, the Mets might choose to side with a certain Cy Young winner.

A top MLB insider predicts that former Padres pitcher Blake Snell might join the New York Mets. Let’s delve into the details of what led to this supposed deduction.

Is Blake Snell all set to get on the New York Mets radar instead of Yamamoto?

MLB insider and The Athletic columnist Jim Bowden recently revealed in a recent piece that many team executives at the Mets clubhouse are interested in pursuing Blake Snell in case a deal with Yoshinobu Yamamoto doesn’t work out. 

Snell might have pitched in just 180 innings across two of the eight seasons played. However, his records from this year, along with the cumulative value of his predicted contract, might seem more feasible for the New York Mets compared to Yamamoto’s current offer predictions.

Snell has been anticipated to fetch a deal of around $162 million for a six-year term. That, compared to Yamamoto’s expected deal of $304 million for nine years, sets a vast difference of $6.7 million in salaries for both players. Does their record reflect the same difference as well?

Watch This Story: Japanese Ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Head-Turning Deal Of $200 Million Was Confirmed By Insider, Keeping Giant Teams On Hotlists

Yamamoto vs. Snell: A comparison for the Mets to consider

31-year-old Blake Snell racked up a record of 234 strikeouts across 32 games with a win record of 14/9. His ERA was 2.25 with a WHIP of 1.189. Comparatively, 25-year-old Yamamoto’s scores stand at 176 SOs across 24 games, with a win record of 17/6. Yoshi’s ERA for this season was 1.16, with a .860 WHIP.

This makes Snell’s availability a golden opportunity to use for the Mets, considering the previously discussed difference in offer values.

Read More: How Blake Snell Benefits From Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Sweepstakes, as Teams Target Top Pitchers After Winter Meetings

What do you think? Will the New York Mets consider pursuing Snell over Yamamoto for the upcoming seasons?