Getty The San Francisco Giants could use free agent starting pitcher Blake Snell in their rotation. There's one roadblock to it happening, though.
While spring training is officially underway across MLB, many free agents remain unsigned. That includes reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. After showing interest in him earlier in the winter, are the New York Yankees emerging as a serious landing spot again?
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported the Yankees are still showing “serious interest” in signing Snell as of February 18. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand shared on February 19 that New York has a new offer on the table to the southpaw. However, NJ.com’s Randy Miller is saying otherwise.
A source briefed on the current happenings between the Yankees and Snell told Miller the report of a new contract offer was “Total BS.” So, that’s the opposite of the buzz surrounding Snell and the Yankees right now.
“Snell’s agent Scott Boras, or his camp, is likely drastically overstating the Yankees’ interest to drive up the price with the two teams most motivated to sign the lefthander — the Giants and Angels,” Miller said in his report.
Boras has been trying to get a second contract offer from the Yankees. That hasn’t happened yet, according to Miller’s source.
Here’s What Will Make the Yankees Circle Back With Snell
With preparations for the 2024 regular season underway, the Yankees won’t have any spring training competitions within the starting rotation. According to FanGraphs’ Roster Resource, the starting five will include Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt.
What would get the Yankees to seriously jump into negotiations for Snell again? Miller’s source shared it’d only happen if one of those starters gets hurt ahead of Opening Day, or Snell’s asking price “drops significantly.”
When the Yankees extended a six-year, $150 million offer to Snell, reports said Boras and Co. countered with nine years and $270 million. That led to New York quickly pivoting to sign Stroman for two years and $37 million.
Miller noted that Snell is now willing to take less to find a new home. It’s unknown how much lower those demands are now, though. Nightengale noted the Yankees are waiting for Snell’s long-term asking price to drop or to see if he’d take a short-term deal that pays him more than $35 million per season.
Could New York Be Bluffing for Leverage in Talks?
The Yankees sent a lot of their perceived pitching depth to the San Diego Padres to acquire outfielders Juan Soto and Trent Grisham in December. General manager Brian Cashman is also aware of how delicate of a balance there is with his pitching staff.
“I think we have a good rotation if everything goes right, which we know is something you don’t want to count on,” he said during the January 18 press conference.
SNY’s Andy Martino reported on February 5 that the Yankees aren’t satisfied with the work they’ve done to solidify the pitching staff. He speculated that a spring training trade for a pitcher wouldn’t be shocking. This doesn’t specify whether they’d like to further bolster the rotation or the bullpen, but they’ve remained connected to Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease.
There are quite a few conflicting reports regarding the Yankees’ interest and pursuit of Snell. Boras isn’t afraid to let things drag on into February and March for his clients, so we’ll see how long the southpaw’s free agency saga continues.