Getty Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge lobbied the Yankees to sign free agent Blake Snell.
The two biggest stars on the New York Yankees have internally pushed for the organization to sign free agent starting pitcher Blake Snell, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
“Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge recommended the signing of Snell early, but the sides are too far apart for recommendations to make a difference,” Heyman wrote on January 25.
Snell is coming off a stellar 2023 season in which he won his second Cy Young Award, finishing with a 2.25 ERA, 14 wins and 234 strikeouts across 180 innings for the San Diego Padres. However, no team has yet been willing to meet the lofty contract expectations set by Snell and his agent Scott Boras this offseason.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported January 27 that Snell has received just one offer so far in free agency—a six-year, $150 million deal from the New York Yankees. Snell, 31, requested $270 million over nine years, per Nightengale. With spring training just over two weeks away, it’s possible that Snell’s camp will lower their asking price and find middle ground with the Yankees.
Snell was in New York City this past weekend for an awards dinner hosted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). He was seated next to Cole, who like Snell is repped by Boras. Cole referenced Snell during his acceptance speech for his American League Cy Young Award at the event.
“I know the Baseball Writers’ Association plans this event but I found it particularly interesting that I was sitting next to Blake Snell all night and I was wondering if, maybe Scott, you had gotten hold of the seating chart and played some games with us,” Cole said. “Sorry, that was for all my Yankees fans.”
The Yankees have already added to their starting rotation this offseason with the signing of Marcus Stroman to a two-year deal worth $37 million. Signing Snell would cap an excellent offseason for the Yankees, and one National League team executive recently told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that he believes general manager Brian Cashman isn’t finished this offseason.
“[Cashman] has one more move up his sleeve,” the executive said.
Snell is the top pitcher left on the market, with fellow Boras client and former Yankee Jordan Montgomery viewed as the second best free agent starter remaining. Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease has also been the subject of trade rumors, with the Seattle Mariners showing interest as reported by Nightengale on January 27.
Blake Snell Also Linked to San Francisco Giants
An executive for a N.L. team recently told MLB.com Mark Feinsand that Snell and the Giants are “very obvious fits” with each other. The Giants have already bolstered their starting pitching rotation this offseason with the signing of Jordan Hicks and trade for Robbie Ray.
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser wrote January 12 on X that the Giants signing of Hicks should not be viewed as impacting their interest in adding Snell.
Yankees Banking on Major Rebound from Carlos Rodon
Carlos Rodon signed a six-year, $162 million deal with the Yankees last offseason, but his first year in New York was ruined by injuries and poor performance as he had a 6.85 ERA in 14 starts. Yankees GM Brian Cashman is expecting Rodon to return to the All-Star form he reached in the 2022 and 2021 seasons.
“The feedback I’m getting is really good. His arm action is good, he looks like, obviously, he’s worked his tail off. So yeah, very optimistic that Rodon can return to form and be the pitcher we know he’s capable of being,” Cashman said.