With MLB Opening Day less than two weeks away, the Houston Astros are poised to be among the elite teams in baseball yet again. And it looks like they are still looking to add to their roster, as the Astros reportedly remain in the mix for free agent left-hander Blake Snell, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Via Jon Heyman:
“Astros remain among teams very much involved for Blake Snell. If they land him, their off-season/spring is only trumped by Dodgers.”
Blake Snell's status as free agency winds down
Snell is eyeing a contract similar to the ones recently signed by Matt Chapman with the San Francisco Giants and Cody Bellinger with the Chicago Cubs, which include three years with two opt-out clauses so that he could potentially maximize his earnings by testing the free agent market again. To this point, he hasn't received an offer to his liking, hence his extremely drawn out free agency saga.
Snell's career has seen its share of ups and downs, with moments of brilliance interspersed with periods of more average performance. However, his time with the San Diego Padres last year was nothing short of stellar. Snell excelled on the mound, leading all of MLB with an impressive 2.25 ERA and limiting opposing hitters to just 5.8 hits per nine innings. He also achieved a career-best 234 strikeouts.
Snell was ranked as the fourth-best player on TSN's Top 50 MLB Free Agents list released all the way back in November, making him the top pitcher available after Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who ended up signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Astros are facing a pitching shortage as the new season approaches, with several key pitchers, including Justin Verlander, sidelined due to injuries. Verlander is dealing with a right shoulder issue and is set to miss the start of the year for the second consecutive season, leaving a void in the Astros' rotation.
Should Snell join the Houston Astros, it would undoubtedly add an intriguing layer to the American League narrative.
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