Giants to Pay Blake Snell’s Massive Demands? San Francisco’s Star Power Search Continues

The Bay Area is increasingly getting restless. Despite making a few signings and improving the roster, the San Francisco Giants still haven’t made that big knockout signing yet. While they’ve been linked with players like Cody Bellinger and the Cy Young winner Blake Snell, it’s the latter who remains a favorite, and rightfully so. A lineup comprising Snell and Logan Webb sounds delicious, but multiple blocks will have to fall to make this a reality. 

Despite there being strong links between the two for a long time, they’ve remained apart on account of the huge asking price of Snell. While the Bay Bombers have enough in their bank to make this deal possible, there’s an inherent risk involved that is making Farhan Zaidi a bit hesitant. 

Why the San Francisco Giants still haven’t signed Blake Snell 

Despite what anyone says, there’s a genuine question here – if the Giants like Snell so much, why haven’t they signed him yet? Like FanSided said, “Adding the reigning National League Cy Young would give them a much better chance to stand toe-to-toe with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.” So what’s keeping them from signing the 2023? 

Is it the $240-270 million asking price that has scared the Bay Bombers?  Perhaps, it certainly won’t be breaking news as this has been the story for nearly every team this offseason. While most want the Cy Young winner on their side, the exorbitant demand has shied them away. But unlike others, there is one more reason why the Giants might have stayed silent till now. 

GM Farhan Zaidi has reportedly always shied away from signing pitchers who have a high walk rate. Last season Snell gave away league-high 99 walks. One could have argued that it was a one-off record. The ace has a career walk rate of 4.1 per nine innings. Ouch! But despite all of this, there is a clear interest in the Bay Area for Blake Snell. But is that interest enough to create a record signing?

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What could be the limit of the Bay Bombers? 

Predicting their limit isn’t quite possible. After all, the Bay Bombers were ready to give Carlos Correa and Aaron Judge a $300 million-plus contract. But those deals didn’t go through and the largest contract signed by the SanFrans-based team is the $167 million extension they gave to Buster Posey. Could that be their limit for Blake Snell as well? 

It is already known that the Yankees weren’t ready to pay more than 6 years, $150 million, for Snell. While it’s unknown if other teams have made offers or not overall, the picture looks clear. Teams do not want to pay $240 million for Snell, so perhaps a middle ground is all that everyone is waiting for. 

Read more: Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery Sweepstakes Set to Accelerate? Corbin Burnes Trade Impacts Off-Season Pitching Market