3 teams who should go above and beyond to keep Blake Snell away from Dodgers in free agency

Blake Snell has put together another incredible season in 2024. If not for signing late and getting off to a horrible start because of it, Snell could be on his way to a second consecutive NL Cy Young award.

Snell is set to enter free agency this offseason, thanks to the opt out clause that was placed in his multi-year contract with the San Francisco Giants last offseason.

MLB insider Jon Heyman recently discussed the top free agents this offseason, connecting Snell to both the Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"A second straight season of excellence (with fewer walks and more staying power) should greatly expand his market. The Giants surely want him back, but the rival Dodgers, who got into the Snell sweepstakes late (but resisted an opt out) could, too," Heyman wrote.

The entire league is doomed if Snell lands with the Dodgers.

These three teams need to do everything in their power to prevent the Dodgers from landing Snell in free agency.

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3. New York Mets

The New York Mets completely turned their season around after starting out slow. Now, with just a few games remaining, the Mets control their own destiny in the NL Wild Card race. While the postseason and their pursuit of a World Series is the number one priority right now, they can still look forward to free agency, where we're left to speculate.

Their top target is set to be Juan Soto, who's more than likely going to choose between the New York Yankees and the Mets. The Mets won't have too much money to spend on other players if they land Soto, but if they miss on him, they could work on bringing Pete Alonso back as well as bringing in an ace to lead their pitching staff.

Snell would be the perfect piece for them to add, but likely only if they do miss on Soto. The Mets would have the money that it would cost to sign him to the mega-contract that he's been looking for.

The worst-case scenario for the Mets is that they let him land with the Dodgers. A rotation of Snell, Glasnow, Ohtani and Yamamoto would be a nightmare for opposing teams. It would give New York little to no chance at defeating the Dodgers, if healthy, in a seven-game series in 2025.

2. San Francisco Giants

The obvious team to go after Snell is the team that he's coming from. The Giants have already shown a willingness to give Snell a contract with the opt outs that he was looking for. This offseason, they would need to be willing to give him the length and the money that he was looking for last offseason.

2024 Snell proved that 2023 Snell was far from a fluke. If we can see more of what Snell did down the stretch this year, he could be one of, if not the single most dominant starting arm in the entire league.

The Giants have seen first hand how good Snell can be. They cannot let him head on over to Los Angeles to pitch with the best team in baseball. It would be a complete nightmare for the Giants for the next few years, destined to be dominated by their rivals worse than it has been.

If the two teams get into a bidding war for Snell, the Giants need to do whatever it takes to retrieve him. If they let him head to the Dodgers, San Francisco would be better off entering a rebuild because they would have no chance at beating the Dodgers in October.

1. San Diego Padres

If there is one team in the league that is in constant pursuit of the Dodgers, it would be the San Diego Padres. Each time the Padres make a meaningful move, it seems as though the Dodgers are one step ahead. While San Diego was a big buyer at the trade deadline, it was still the Dodgers who took home the NL West crown again. The end of the season is still to be determined, so the Padres could steal the Pennant and World Series from them if they play well enough.

But, this offseason, they will need to make sure they steal Blake Snell from them. If the Padres didn't have pressing interest in bringing Snell back, they absolutely should now after hearing that the Dodgers could be in pursuit.

Snell won the Cy Young with San Diego in 2023 but opted for a deal with the Giants in the offseason. Now, after dominating again, Snell is set to get the big contract that he searched for last offseason. The Padres have the money and they have the willingness to win. Nobody is pursuing players as aggressively, both in trades and free agency, as the Padres.

This offseason, San Diego needs to do everything in their power to bring Snell back to San Diego.