Boy oh boy, Superstar MLB Agent, Scott Boras has lost his fastball...no pun intended.
San Francisco adds the defending NL Cy Young winner to the top of a staff that also includes last year’s runner-up, Logan Webb. A two-year deal certainly isn’t what Snell had in mind at the beginning of the winter. Especially after the only other publicly reported offer which he received was a six-year, $150MM proposal from the Yankees back in January.
Snell, 30, is 71-55 with a 3.20 ERA in 191 starts over eight major league seasons, winning Cy Youngs in 2018 with Tampa Bay and last year with San Diego.
Snell, who will pitch all of 2024 at age 31, is the latest big name free agent to take a short-term contract. Cody Bellinger returned to the Chicago Cubs on a three-year, $80 million deal, and Matt Chapman Giants on a three-year, $54 million contract. Bellinger and Chapman can opt out of their contracts after each season. All clients of Scott Boras.
Snell will reportedly receive a $15MM salary in 2024 and has a $17MM signing bonus that will not be paid until January 2026. Snell will receive the bonus even if he opts out, so that decision essentially amounts to a $30MM player option for the ’25 season.
Despite the tough first month, the southpaw finished the year with an MLB-best 2.25 ERA across 180 frames. He punched out 31.5% of opposing hitters, a mark surpassed by only Spencer Strider and Tyler Glasnow among pitchers with at least 100 innings. No other starter missed more bats on a per-swing basis. Opponents made contact on just 64.2% of their swings against Snell, narrowly better than Strider’s 64.3% figure for the lowest rate in the majors.
The Giants, meantime, have now committed more than $300 million to free agents this winter, with $100 million-plus being spent during spring training alone. They also have brought in former World Series MVP Jorge Soler. In addition San Francisco shelled out $113MM for KBO star Jung Hoo Lee and $44MM for reliever turned starter Jordan Hicks. The Giants also pulled off a major trade with the Mariners that sent Mitch Haniger and Anthony DeSclafani to Seattle for rehabbing starter Robbie Ray. The 2021 AL Cy Young winner won’t be a factor until around the All-Star Break, but he could eventually add another high-ceiling arm to the rotation.