Blake Snell would have thought back in September that, despite not making the postseason with the San Diego Padres, he would be entering free agency at the best possible time. After all, he had one of the best seasons of his career en route to winning his first NL Cy Young Award and his second Cy Young Award overall. But here he is, deep into Spring Training, still unsigned.
At this point, Snell may have to lower his contract demands so he can sign with a team with time to spare before Opening Day. But Snell, who's already 31 years of age, may be recognizing that this is his best chance to secure a lucrative long-term contract. Thus, the onus is on teams to ramp up their pursuit of the talented southpaw.
One AL West team, in particular, may have to be more cognizant of some very subtle hints from Blake Snell and his camp. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, one unnamed source said that Snell “wants” to sign with the Seattle Mariners and that the Mariners, after falling just two games short of the postseason, could very much use a starting pitcher of the reigning NL Cy Young awardee's caliber.
At present, the Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants appear to be the two teams in the driver's seat for Snell's services. But to what degree is that true, exactly? After all, the Angels and Giants have been saying that they're interested in Snell, but pen has yet to be put to paper. This could open up a chance for the Mariners to swipe Snell from under their noses, especially if the 31-year old southpaw does want to be there, like Heyman's source indicates.
The Mariners don't exactly need a front of the rotation starter, but one could just imagine how lethal their rotation would be if they do indeed sign Blake Snell. They already have the front three of Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert to lead the way, but all of them are right-handers. Snell would give their rotation a new dynamic that could end up taking them to the playoffs after barely missing out last season.
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