Former Cy Young Winner Blake Snell Opts Out Of Contract, Elects Free Agency

According to MLB insider Bob Nightengale, San Francisco Giants ace Blake Snell has opted out of his $38.5 million player option and entered free agency.

Snell, 31, is a two-time Cy Young winner. Last offseason, he didn’t get the long-term contract that he and his agent, Scott Boras, were looking for. Snell ended up signing a two-year contract with an opt out after 2024.

Now, Snell enters free agency again, reportedly looking for the same kind of long term deal he failed to land a year ago.

The 31-year-old southpaw got off to a horrendous start to this season after missing spring training due to contract negotiations. Through five starts, Snell had an ERA north of 10.00, which was unheard of for a pitcher who posted a 2.25 ERA and won the Cy Young award in 2023.

But as Snell found his groove, he began to look like the ace that everybody knows him as.

In his first five starts, Snell threw 19 innings and allowed 22 earned runs on 27 hits. Over his final 15 starts, Snell would only allow 14 earned runs on 38 hits across 85 innings.

Snell will now enter free agency with a long-term contract in mind.

Plenty of teams will be willing to fork over the money that Snell is looking for this year, especially after he finished the year as dominant as he did.

Snell proved he could stay healthy. He proved that his 2023 season was far from a one- or two-time thing. Now, he’s set to get paid like he deserves.

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