What is going on with Blake Snell's free agency? Typically, a reigning Cy Young winner would be the most discussed player in free agency, but Snell's market has been reduced to whispers and rumors for the most part. In fact, some reports have even stated that teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Seattle Mariners will not even attempt to sign Snell.
The question is why? Sure, he is 31-years old, but we've seen a number of pitchers continue to find success in their mid-late 30's. And Snell, being in his early 30's, probably still has plenty of good seasons left.
It should be noted that his market has begun to gain some traction. The Los Angeles Angels have reportedly had “dialogue” with the left-handed hurler, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports. Still, it is surprising that many teams don't seem to be interested in Snell.
Let's take a look at a couple of potential reasons for Blake Snell's quiet free agency.
Everyone is waiting on Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Some people around the MLB world expected the dominoes to begin to fall once Shohei Ohtani made his free agency decision. When it comes to the pitching market, however, teams are waiting on Yamamoto.
Yes, Snell won the 2023 NL Cy Young with the San Diego Padres, but Yamamoto is regarded by many as the most valuable free agent pitcher available. He's only 25-years old and features ace-caliber potential.
Once Yamamoto makes his decision, I'd expect Snell's free agency to start gaining some steam. The question is whether or not teams like the Dodgers, Mariners, New York Mets, and New York Yankees will be interested in him. All of these teams were originally expected to pursue Snell and have needs for starting pitching.
Perhaps whichever teams miss out on Yamamoto will make an effort to land Snell. But is it as simple as teams simply waiting, or is there more to the hesitancy?
Blake Snell's inconsistency is likely impacting his free agency
Let's take a moment to do some trivia. Do you know who led the National League in ERA in 2023? How about the league leader in walks?
What if I told you that Snell somehow accomplished this boom-or-bust feat. As crazy as it sounds, Snell led the league in both categories, recording a stellar 2.25 ERA while surrendering 99 base-on-balls.
Snell was terrific in terms of stranding base-runners in 2023. He often danced around trouble and found ways to get out of jams. His strikeout prowess, as the left-hander tallied 234 K's, certainly came in handy.
But it's difficult to imagine Blake Snell working his way out of trouble as well as he did in 2023 moving forward. He might still record plenty of strikeouts but when you walk 99 hitters, opponents are going to find ways to score runs at some point.
2023 wasn't the first time Snell struggled with his control. It's led to inconsistency throughout the years. When he's on his game, Snell is arguably the most dominant left-handed pitcher in baseball. But there are times where Snell simply cannot throw a strike and it comes back to haunt him.
Where will Snell sign?
The answer to where Blake Snell will sign remains uncertain at the moment. He's a fit for many teams, but those ball clubs are seemingly hesitant to pursue him.
Snell deserves a lucrative contract. It would be unfortunate if he has to settle for a pay-cut. He probably will end up receiving a respectable contract once Yamamoto signs, but Snell's market hasn't lived up to expectations so far in free agency.
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