Pitcher Blake Snell is opting out of his contract with the San Francisco Giants and will become a free agent for the second consecutive offseason.
Last season, Snell compiled a 3.12 ERA and a 5-3 record with 145 strikeouts in 104 innings. The left-hander threw the first no-hitter of his career on August 2 against the Cincinnati Reds. He was limited to 20 starts due to left adductor and left groin injuries.
Snell, 31, signed a two-year deal with the Giants after being available on the free agent market until March, failing to land the lucrative long-term contract he was hoping for after winning the National League Cy Young Award. in 2023 with the San Francisco. Diego Padres with a 2.24 ERA, 14–9 record and 234 strikeouts in 180 innings.
The nine-year veteran was one of four Scott Boras clients who were highly touted free agents, but were unable to find any teams interested in signing them to lucrative multi-year nine-figure contracts. Each of the “Four Boras” did not sign until well into spring training, near the start of the regular season.
Snell’s two-year contract was for $62 million, paying him $15 million in 2024 with $30 million set for 2025, $15 million of which would have been deferred to 2027. Jordan Montgomery signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Miami Diamondbacks. Arizona. (The deal included a $25 million player option.) that Montgomery exercised this week.)
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Matt Chapman signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the Giants. And Cody Bellinger may have gotten the best deal, re-signing with the Chicago Cubs for three years and $80 million.
However, Chapman finally cashed in on the type of deal he and Boras were hoping for last offseason, agreeing to a six-year, $151 million extension in September. He finished with a .247 average, .790 OPS and 15 stolen bases, leading the team with 39 doubles, 27 home runs and 78 RBIs.
After the season he had with the Padres and two years removed from earning the second Cy Young Award of his career (he first won it in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays), Snell is hoping for a similar payday amid a market of free agents who figures to be one of the best starting pitchers available along with Corbin Burnes, Jack Flaherty and Max Fried.
