Blake Snell is a member of the San Francisco Giants, but it took nearly six months after his last start (coincidentally against the Giants) to ink a deal.

Despite winning the 2023 NL Cy Young Award, Snell waited, waited, and waited some more to sign with a team in MLB free agency. Earlier in the offseason, Snell reportedly turned down a six-year, $150 million contract offer from the New York Yankees, and after the market didn't appear to be as lively as Snell and Scott Boras, his polarizing agent, may have been expecting, Snell decided to sign with the Giants for two years and $62 million.

MLB insider Bob Nightengale said today that while Snell was speaking to the media, the reigning Cy Young winner admitted his “free agent process was frustrating but glad he wound up with the Giants.” NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Alex Pavlovic also tweeted that Snell said he'd throw a bullpen session on Thursday and that he feels “really good” and expects to play soon.

Blake Snell Giants debut

MLB Opening Day is set for March 28, when the Giants will play the San Diego Padres, the team with whom Snell spent the last three seasons. Snell told Pavlovic that he won't be ready by then, so any Snell vs. Padres matchup will have to wait at least a little while.

In addition to the Yankees and Giants, the Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros were reportedly interested in signing Snell this offseason. The Astros reportedly balked at Snell's asking price, and the Angels, despite losing Shohei Ohtani in free agency to the Los Angeles Dodgers and presumably having money to spend, did not land Snell either.

Boras and Snell's handling of his free agency has been criticized by fans and media members, especially if the reported $150 million contract was actually offered to Snell. If true, the long-term guarantee that the Yankees offered would seem to trump the riskier, short-term contract he ultimately signed in San Francisco.

The Giants will need Snell to perform just as well or even better than last season after a 79-win season in 2023. He will likely slot into the rotation behind Logan Webb, also joining Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, and Keaton Winn.