Blake Snell just put together one of the better pitching seasons anyone who follows the sport of baseball will ever see. In 32 starts, Snell ended the 2023 season with a sparkling 2.25 ERA. His 1.189 WHIP was also spectacular as was his 6.0 WAR. Furthermore, Snell posted a 2.36 strikeout per walk ratio and an 11.7 strikeout per nine-innings ratio. Snell won the AL Cy Young trophy in 2018, and it appears nothing but a mere formality that Snell will win the NL version of the trophy in a matter of days.
And then things get interesting. Not only is Blake Snell projected to win the Cy Young trophy, but he is also slated to be a free agent in the winter. Snell and the San Diego Padres failed to make the playoffs this season, though through no fault of Snell. The 30-year-old pitcher has made the playoffs just once as a member of the Padres in three seasons and has yet to have anything close to the shot he had with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020 when they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
Snell will have plenty of suitors that can help him reach the pinnacle he and every baseball player wants to reach: to win the World Series. The question is, where should he go?
Baltimore Orioles
There might not be a team who needs an ace like Blake Snell more than the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles won the second-most games in all of baseball in 2023, trailing only the Atlanta Braves. They scored the seventh-most runs in the MLB, trailing just the Braves, Dodgers, the World Series champion Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Astros, and the Chicago Cubs (the only team in this group who failed to qualify for the postseason). They also ranked in the Top 10 in batting average and slugging percentage during the regular season. Baltimore's offense was not their problem.
Their starting pitching, however, was an issue. Of the starting pitchers who pitched at least 30 innings, only one Oriole had an ERA below 3.6: that was Kyle Bradish, who posted a 2.83 ERA on the season. John Means got off to a terrific start to the season before his injury, forcing him to just play 23.2 innings. The Orioles simply didn't get enough from the likes of Kyle Gibson, Dean Kremer, Grayton Rodriguez, Tyler Wells, and Jack Flaherty (whom the team acquired in a trade deadline trade with the St. Louis Cardinals).
The Orioles built from the draft and have one of the lower payrolls in the sport. In fact, they had *the* lowest payroll in the majors at $26,526,668 million. If anybody could afford to open the checkbook, it would be them. Snell would be costly, but he would help Baltimore exponentially.
Los Angeles Dodgers
It would behoove the Dodgers to sign Snell for a couple of reasons. For one, steering him away from a division rival would be a double-whammy; they'd make themselves better and the Padres worse. But for another, they might need to overhaul their pitching staff. Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias are both slated to be free agents, as well as Snell.
Kershaw put together another exceptional season with over 131.2 innings pitched. He posted a robust 2.46 ERA, 1.063 WHIP, and 3.7 WAR. But, he once again got injured during the season and underwent surgery to repair the glenohumeral ligaments and capsule of his left shoulder. He also isn't getting any younger after finishing his age-35 season.
Urias had emerged for the Dodgers the last couple of seasons as well, but not only did his play regress, he also was accused of domestic violence for the second time. Urias did not pitch again for the Dodgers after that accusation was levied against him. If those accusations are true, then there is no place in the MLB for anybody like Urias, and he should not be allowed to pitch again until everything with that case is sorted out.
Going back to baseball, however, the Dodgers' rotation outside of Kershaw and Urias was not very impressive. They only had one other starting pitcher not named Kershaw to post an ERA below 3.5 while pitching at least 30 innings on the year: that was Dustin May, who made his last appearance for the Dodgers on May 17th before getting injured for the rest of the season. He just required UCL surgery and likely will not be available for the 2024 season. Neither will Tony Gonsolin.
But Walker Buehler should be able to ready for the 2024 season. Young players like Bobby Miller and Emmet Sheehan could be ready for a leap. The Dodgers may not be in dire straits with their pitching staff, but adding a starter or two couldn't hurt, especially if it is someone as good as Blake Snell.
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