The New York Yankees presented an offer to star left-handed pitcher Blake Snell last month. However, they shifted their focus to veteran right-hander Marcus Stroman due to significant differences in negotiations. While it remains uncertain if talks between the Yankees and Snell have continued since acquiring Stroman, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported today that the Yankees maintain a strong interest in Snell. They are currently waiting for his asking price to decrease.
Snell, who is 31 years old, entered the offseason as the second-best starting pitcher available, just behind Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It’s easy to understand why, as Snell, the reigning NL Cy Young award winner, had an exceptional 2023 season. He led the majors with an impressive 2.25 ERA over 180 innings and had a remarkable strikeout rate of 31.5%. However, Snell also led the league in walks, issuing free passes to 13.3% of batters faced. Despite his dominance, he has struggled with inconsistency in recent years. Between his two Cy Young campaigns, Snell performed like a mid-to-back of the rotation pitcher, with a combined 3.85 ERA and 3.44 FIP in 413 2/3 innings.
The combination of Snell’s dominance and inconsistency has likely contributed to the gap between his demands and interested teams. Nightengale suggests that a possible solution for Snell and the Yankees could be a shorter contract. MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald discussed the benefits of such a deal earlier this week. Nightengale proposes that this type of agreement could include an annual salary exceeding $35 million. This would likely surpass the short-term, opt-out heavy contracts signed by pitchers like Trevor Bauer and Carlos Correa in recent years. Bauer’s three-year, $102 million deal is particularly relevant as both he and Snell have shown Cy Young-caliber performances but have also struggled with consistency, often performing closer to the league average in down seasons.
Even without Snell, the Yankees have a solid rotation heading into Opening Day. Gerrit Cole is one of the league’s premier starters, and Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes have had seasons where they performed at the front-of-the-rotation level, despite difficulties in 2023. Stroman, a reliable veteran, has maintained a 3.32 ERA since the 2019 season. If the Yankees don’t acquire another pitcher, the fifth spot in the rotation is likely to go to Clarke Schmidt, who had decent numbers as a full-time starter in his rookie season. While adding Snell would be beneficial and allow Schmidt to provide depth, the addition of Stroman has already created a credible five-man rotation on paper.
The Yankees are not the only team interested in Snell’s services, especially if his asking price decreases in the coming weeks. The Los Angeles Angels are frequently mentioned as a potential suitor for Snell, as well as fellow Boras client Jordan Montgomery. Other teams, such as the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Toronto Blue Jays, have also been rumored to have interest in Snell if his price falls within their range. Additionally, if Snell starts considering shorter-term offers with higher annual average values, new teams that were not previously linked to him could emerge as potential suitors, similar to what happened with Correa and the Minnesota Twins during the 2021-22 offseason.
According to the Source mlbtraderumors.com