Blake Snell finally ends free agency saga: Contract details and grade

It took most of the MLB offseason but Blake Snell has finally found a new home with the San Francisco Giants.

Jon Heyman broke the news on Monday night, reporting the agreement between Snell and the Giants on Twitter.

How much did Snell have to lower his demands?

Blake Snell contract details

According to Heyman, Snell's new deal is for two years and $62 million. It has the opt-out he was seeking, making it essentially a one-year deal. Like another Scott Boras client, Cody Bellinger, he is likely to be back on the market next year so we can go through this rodeo all over again.

For the Giants, this made too much sense to pass up. They're not investing any long-term risk into a pitcher with an inconsistent performance record. His Cy Young capabilities make the gamble on the 2024 season feel reasonable enough. There's risk here sure, but plenty of reward.

They desperately needed help for their pitching staff this offseason and Snell is about as high-quality a signing as they could have made. Their rotation now includes the top two vote-getters for the 2023 Cy Young; Logan Webb finished just behind Snell. This offseason, they've also added Robbie Ray and Jordan Hicks, though they'll have to wait for Ray to return from injury.

From Snell's perspective, he had to come down to $62 million after reportedly asking the Astros for $66 million. But he's getting a hefty $31 million per year with this deal. He was certainly looking for more, but if he has a strong 2024 campaign, he's set up to get it.

Thus ends another Boras contract saga with a player essentially punting down the road after a drawn-out free agency process. We'll see how long until Jordan Montgomery resolves his free agency journey.

Contract grade: B