Two of the bigger free agents this past offseason were Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, and both of them signed very late in spring training with the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks, limiting the time they had to get ready for the season, and both of them are citing that as why they have gotten off to tough starts.

“The one thing I would say is that big-league spring training, you need it,” Blake Snell said, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “You have to go to spring training. I hope teams see that. I don't know what Montgomery is doing, but I bet it's tough for him.”

Snell is off to an 0-3 start with a 10.42 ERA on the season and dealt with an injury, and it will not get any easier as he and the Giants will face the red-hot New York Yankees on Sunday. Jordan Montgomery is 3-3 with a 5.48 ERA, and he opened up on how his perspective changed regarding spring training.

“I used to hate spring training. And now, I'm like, ‘I love spring training.'”

Given the types of deals both of those pitchers signed with the Giants and Diamondbacks, they are in similar situations for the rest of this year to try to set themselves up to maximize long-term earnings.

Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery's outlook on the rest of the season

Snell signed a two-year, $62 million deal with the Giants that includes an opt-out after this season. Snell was hoping to have a strong season after winning the Cy Young in 2023 that would set him up to hit the market again next offseason and potentially sign a long-term deal.

Montgomery signed a one-year, $25 million deal that has a vesting option for 2025, so it is a bit of a different situation for him, but he still wants to perform well to get another good deal when he hits free agency again. Snell opened up further on how he prepared for the season as a free agent.

“It's not easy,” Snell said, via Nightengale. “I didn't face a big-league hitter until I pitched in my first game in the big leagues this year. It's tough. You just have nothing to go off of. You're just kind of like, ‘Oh, let's see what we've got.' I faced 18-year-olds. It's all excuses. But it's the truth.”

The Giants are one game below .500 going into Snell's start on Sunday against the Yankees, and a good outing would provide some momentum. There is still time for San Francisco to make a run and become a postseason team. The Diamondbacks are 26-32 and are in a bigger hole coming off of a World Series appearance. Montgomery will try to help spark a turnaround.