3 SF Giants who won't be back in 2025 thanks to Blake Snell's contract
Blake Snell's contract might impact the Giants futures of these three players.
After months of waiting, the San Francisco Giants finally put the entire baseball world out of its misery by ending the Blake Snell sweepstakes. The terms of the deal were quite favorable for the team, as they were able to land Snell, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner in the middle of his prime, and only commit to him for two years at the absolute most.
While the terms look favorable, Snell does have a player option for $30 million to decide on next offseason. If he has another dominant year he'll presumably opt out and look for a lengthy deal, but if he has a down year or struggles with injury, Snell has a nice cushion to fall back on.
If Snell opts into that $30 million contract, there's a good chance it'll impact what happens with these three Giants players in 2025.
3) Wilmer Flores has no reason to accept his player option
Ahead of the 2023 campaign, Wilmer Flores inked a three-year extension to remain with the Giants through the 2025 season. The terms of that deal have wound up being incredibly team-friendly as the infielder is owed just $16.5 million total in the deal. He's making $6.5 million this season and has a player option for the 2025 campaign worth just $3.5 million. He's almost certainly going to be rejecting that.
The Giants had a rough offensive season in 2023 but Flores was one player who actually had a great year. The 32-year-old slashed .284/.355/.509 with 23 home runs and 60 RBI in 126 games played. He led the team in just about every important offensive statistical category and set career highs with his 23 home runs and .863 OPS.
Despite Flores being their best hitter last season, he doesn't really have a guaranteed starting spot this season. Matt Chapman is their new third baseman. Thairo Estrada won't be moved off of second base. The Giants could replace LaMonte Wade Jr. at first, but Wade crushes right-handed pitching. Flores might be battling for playing time, which he presumably doesn't love.
That, combined with the fact that his 2025 player option is dirt cheap makes it feel unlikely that Flores will be back in 2025. If Snell opts into the second year of his deal, the Giants probably won't want to pay Flores what he's worth anyway.