3 best SF Giants backup plans with Cody Bellinger off the market

1. Giants can spend their dough on pitching with Blake Snell

Free of the burden of paying Cody Bellinger $30 million annually, the Giants can use their deep pocketbooks to focus on another prized Scott Boras client: former San Diego Padres ace Blake Snell. The 31-year-old won his second Cy Young award last season, posting a league-best 2.25 ERA and fanning 234 batters in 180.0 innings pitched.

Snell's top-line talent is well-documented. When he's healthy and locked in, few can match him pitch-for-pitch. The issue with Snell is simple: durability. He won two Cy Young awards in 2018 and 2023, but Snell spent the four years in between without pitching more than 129 innings once. His ERA ballooned over 4.00 twice during that span, too.

There's no guarantee the Cy Young version of Snell shows up every season. If he does, there's no guarantee it lasts. Injuries are a persistent issue. And yet, even with those valid concerns, Snell would be a great addition for the Giants. He addresses a core area of weakness on the mound, and he gives San Francisco one of the MLB's top strikeout artists. Snell blends high-90s heat with a vicious sloping curveball. He can struggle with command from time to time, but Snell's ability to coax misses and overpower hitters is singular.

San Francisco landed Robbie Ray via trade, but he is expected to miss a chunk of the season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Logan Webb is a solid No. 2, but he cannot lead the Giants' bullpen on his own. Jordan Hicks was excellent last season in a relief capacity (3.29 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 65.2 innings), but the hard-throwing righty has a shaky history when it comes to starting.

Snell would guarantee at least one true ace in the Giants' rotation, with Webb still very much on the rise and Ray capable of regaining that label once he's back from injury.