Cardinals trade blueprint for finally landing Blake Snell looks quite feasible

The San Francisco Giants' recent downslide puts the team firmly in sell mode ahead of Tuesday's MLB trade deadline. Among the names generating buzz on the Giants roster is Blake Snell, the reigning NL Cy Young winner who inked an unconventional two-year, $62 million contract last winter.

It has been a season from hell for the hard-throwing lefty, who began the campaign ice-cold after waiting until the back end of spring training to sign. A victim of Scott Boras' overtly horrendous bargaining skills, Snell turned down various long-term offers — including six years, $150 million from the New York Yankees — before landing with the Giants at the last possible second.

Rather than securing a payday for the remainder of his prime, Snell opted for short-term optionality. He has the ability to opt out of his contract before next season. If he opts in, Snell will receive $30 million for the 2026 campaign, with $15 million deferred to 2027.

How Snell proceeds will largely depend on how the rest of his season unfolds. If he finishes strong and remains healthy, he can probably opt out and find a robust market in free agency. If the season takes another southward turn, Snell probably opts in and looks to rehab his value next season.

That inherent uncertainty complicates the trade picture, but it won't prevent contenders with considerable financial resources from poking around Snell. One potential landing spot? The St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals' path to trading for Blake Snell could actually work

St. Louis has been tossed around as a Snell destination for a while. The Cardinals have a seemingly annual need for starting pitchers and Snell, with two Cy Young awards to his name, comes with the highest possible recommendations.

Snell has struggled immensely this season. The numbers paint a grim portrait, with his 5.83 ERA and 1.368 WHIP by far the worst of his career. He has only managed nine starts and 41.2 innings, suffering from the injury bug, which has been all too common over the course of Snell's career.

There are, however, positive indicators. Snell's struggles can be partially, if not entirely blamed on his accelerated ramp-up period after signing so late in the offseason. He didn't have a full spring training to build up a rhythm and establish his routine. Compound that with unfamiliar surroundings in San Francisco, as well as injuries, and it's no wonder that Snell hit bumps in the road early on.

Since the calendar flipped to July, however, the 31-year-old appears to have found his groove. In three starts this month, Snell has allowed a combined six hits and two earned runs across 18.0 innings, with 15 strikeouts compared to five walks. He has two scoreless outings of at least five innings and opponents are slugging .158 for the month, which is awfully low.

Thus, trade demand is bubbling up, and Jim Bowden of The Athletic has a whole plan mapped out for a potential St. Louis trade package.

"I think there has to be a significant player to be named later as part of any trade for Snell because it’s not known if he’ll opt into his 2025 salary ($30 million) or elect to re-enter free agency... As far as your question about a potential Snell trade to St. Louis, I think the initial return would start with one of the Cardinals’ pitching prospects such as Gordon Graceffo or Brian Holiday, and perhaps include one of their minor-league table-setters like outfielder Travis Honeyman, who was a third-round pick in 2023, along with the aforementioned PTBNL."

Gordon Graceffo is the Cardinals' No. 9 prospect on MLB Pipeline. Brian Holiday of Oklahoma State was the Cards' third-round pick in this month's MLB Draft. As for Travis Honeyman, he is the No. 11 prospect in St. Louis.

If we are to follow Bowden's blueprint, the Cardinals are looking at two top-15 prospects and a player to be named later in exchange for Snell. Some will view that as rich considering all the injury baggage and contract concerns, but frankly, opportunities to land a pitcher of Snell's caliber don't come around too often. It's a chance for St. Louis to really put the pedal to the metal in the NL Wild Card race, while also setting up the chance to woo Snell into a long-term deal when the time comes.

Snell would join Sonny Gray atop the St. Louis rotation, giving Oli Marmol two perennial Cy Young candidates to work with. Assuming his latest stretch is more indicative of his ability than his first-half slump, Snell would have a profound impact on the Cardinals' competitive ceiling this season. With St. Louis locked in a tight Wild Card race, that is precisely what the team needs.