3 Blake Snell trade destinations if SF Giants enter sell mode

The San Francisco Giants are 47-50 with two weeks until the MLB trade deadline. While perception can always change over the next couple weeks, it sure feels like the Giants are trending in the wrong direction under new manager Bob Melvin. High expectations have been met with mediocre results, despite San Francisco's aggressive offseason retool.

Jung Hoo Lee and Matt Chapman were among the big-name position players San Francisco added to its lineup over the winter. The Giants were also highly involved in the pitching market, trading for former Cy Young recipient Robbie Ray and adding another Cy Young in free agency: the reigning 2023 winner, Blake Snell, who has now earned baseball's most prestigious pitching award twice.

Snell waited until the last possible second to sign a two-year, $62 million contract with an opt-out. Even with his impressive resumé, Snell struggled to drum up interest in a long-term deal. After rejecting a six-year deal from the New York Yankees, Snell's market melted away and he landed with San Francisco (and Melvin, his former manager in San Diego) on an emergency deal meant to help Snell test the free agent waters again in 2024.

Unfortunately, Snell missed spring training as a result of Scott Boras' bullish, controversial offseason posturing. As a result, the 31-year-old Snell couldn't hit the side of a barn once his season started, much less the precise location of the catcher's mitt behind home plate. He looked completely out of whack.

The numbers are dire at first glance — 0-3 in eight starts with a 6.31 ERA and 1.430 WHIP — but a peak beneath the hood shows promising signs of growth. After a recent stint on the IL, Snell has strung together two excellent starts. Two scoreless, one-hit outings in a row, with eight strikeouts in seven innings against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

It's a little early to start the "he's back!" campaign, but Snell is regaining form. If the Giants decide to pivot at the trade deadline — FanSided's Robert Murray said San Francisco could be "leaning sell" in the latest episode of The Baseball Insiders — Snell is an obvious candidate to change teams. A lot of contenders should have interest in betting on the two-time Cy Young winner.

Let's name a few.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

Blake Snell was connected to the Los Angeles Dodgers at various points in the offseason, but LA ultimately went in the direction of Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. As injuries pile up for the Dodgers rotation, however, there's no reason to believe baseball's spendiest team won't engage with the possibility again.

Does San Francisco want to send Snell to its foremost division rival? Maybe not, but if the Giants aren't ready to contend, they shouldn't let bad optics deter them from a fruitful transaction. The Dodgers would risk losing Snell in the offseason, while San Francisco gets a unique chance to pry valuable long-term assets out of Los Angeles' robust farm system.

We know the Dodgers are comfortable adding star-power, even when the price is steep. Snell's contract is spooky on multiple fronts — the cost, the opt-out, the potential for an opt-in. There's a ton of uncertainty that comes with trading for Snell in the middle of his worst MLB season to date. And yet, for the Dodgers, it's a chance to land baseball's most dominant starter when he's on his A-game.

Snell is trending in that direction. The Dodgers would, when healthy, be able to cushion Snell with consistent output from Glasnow, Yamamoto, and the soon-to-return Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers' pitching staff can feel more like a tantalizing what-if than a stable entity these days, but Los Angeles is a few months of positive injury luck away from the best five-man rotation in the majors. Especially if Snell arrives and channels last season's success.

That is a massive if, but the Dodgers are firmly in the contenders circle with ground to make up as the Philadelphia Phillies patrol the No. 1 seed. There's incentive to roll the dice on Snell.

2. Baltimore Orioles

WIth Kyle Bradish and John Means both done for the season, pitching depth is scarce for the Baltimore Orioles. Corbin Burnes has been as dominant as advertised atop the rotation — he's starting the All-Star Game, a well-deserved honor — but he will need some help if the O's want to win the American League and, eventually, the World Series.

Last summer, the Orioles' midseason hunt for pitchers resulted in Jack Flaherty. After a strong start to the campaign in St. Louis, Flaherty fell apart down the stretch with his new team. He was bombing in the playoffs and punching the Orioles' ticket home in the end. If Baltimore swings another aggressive trade, it needs to end with a better result. Experience and ceiling matter.

Snell, when he's healthy, is as good as any starting pitcher in the sport. He beat out Burnes for the NL Cy Young last season, and deservedly so. His struggles in 2024 have been concerning, but it's clear that missing spring training stunted Snell's ability to ramp up. Now that he has spent time rehabbing and recuperating on the IL, we're seeing flashes of the vintage product. That Snell — the Snell we've seen in a couple games straight — would dramatically raise the ceiling for the first-place O's.

Baltimore has never been much of a trade deadline player, but with new ownership and a clear window to contend, it's time for the Orioles to go all-out. Snell working in tandem with Burnes would guarantee two proven, ace-level weapons once Baltimore arrives on the postseason stage. With the Yankees in close pursuit (and the Red Sox not far behind), the O's need every edge possible.

Maybe this is a stretch, but Snell would carry serious upside for the Orioles.

1. New York Yankees

The Yankees were long considered the favorites to land Blake Snell before he pivoted to San Francisco in the final hours of free agency. Snell turned down a six-year, $150 million offer from New York at one point — a decision he probably regrets now. Once the pitching market shaped up, Snell was left waiting for a better offer sheet that never arrived. Rather than taking a discount, he went for the short-term contract to set up another free agent plunge.

New York already has its hands full trying to persuade Juan Soto to stick around beyond this season. Entertaining a potential Snell departure or contract renegotiation probably isn't what Brian Cashman wants on his plate. But, the Yankees need to embrace the challenges of constructing a contender in the rough-and-tumble AL East. Baltimore isn't going away and the Red Sox are hot on New York's heels. The thought of Boston surpassing New York in the standings is nightmare fuel for half the city.

Snell was never getting the $200-plus million he desired from New York, but the Yankees could settle for a short-term rental to pursue the No. 1 seed in the American League. Title windows don't stay open forever, especially when Juan Soto threatens to bolt as a free agent in a few months. The Yankees have shied away from spending big in recent years, but Snell was clearly an object of intrigue last winter. There was once mutual interest in a partnership. It's better late than never.

The Yankees would benefit from help in the rotation. Carlos Rodon continues to struggle under the weight of expectations. The Yankees will have solid depth once Clarke Schmidt returns, but based on recent evidence, the top of New York's rotation isn't entirely reliable once the playoffs roll around. Nestor Cortes has fizzled in recent outings and the Marcus Stroman experience hasn't been entirely seamless. Snell brings Cy Young upside to a rotation that is already reintegrating Gerrit Cole.

After flirting for an entire offseason, it's about time for Snell and the Yankees to get hitched.