It's the first week of March already but Blake Snell remains a free agent. Recently, though, Snell's agent, Scott Boras, revealed that interest in the two-time Cy Young pitcher has intensified. The Philadelphia Phillies may not be among the teams looking in Snell's direction because of the future non-baseball impact that such a move carries.

The Phillies are expected to slide down 10 notches lower in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft once Zack Wheeler's extension starts in 2025. Wheeler's extension will put Philadelphia on the third tax threshold, hence the looming demotion of the team in the draft order. Moreover, since Snell received a qualifying offer from the San Diego Padres before declining it, the Phillies would lose a draft pick as compensation, as noted by Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

“This is one reason they have worked hard to retain their full allotment of picks for the 2024 draft; the Phillies did not sign a free agent attached to a qualifying offer for the first time in years. Those missing picks — and the bonus money that comes with them — have harmed their farm system. (This is but one reason the Phillies have never seriously discussed Blake Snell, multiple major-league sources said — no matter how short the deal is.)”

Considering that the Phillies' farm system is widely viewed to be lagging behind in terms of quality, that can be enough reason for the Phillies to just call it a day for good when it comes to a potential Snell pursuit in MLB free agency.

The 31-year-old Snell is coming off a Cy Young season with the San Diego Padres, going 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA and 182 ERA+ through 32 starts in 2023.