4 free agent suitors already lining up for Blake Snell after his defiant no-hitter

How dominant has Blake Snell been with the San Francisco Giants in this recent stretch? Before recording his first no-hitter, Snell has already been lighting it up over his past four starts. With the no-no intact, he now owns a dazzling 0.55 ERA over his last five starts, or two earned runs in his previous 33 innings pitched.

If he continues this stretch, he will be a lock to opt out of his current deal with San Francisco and test free agency again, where this time he will have multiple suitors lining up to ink him to a deal. Here are the top three:

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1. Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are currently 1.0 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the AL West crown and 5.0 games back in a crowded Wild Card picture. One primary catalyst for Houston's uphill battle is that their starting rotation is only 17th-best in MLB and that gets further complicated moving forward when you remember both Justin Verlander and newly acquired Yusei Kikuchi are set to hit free agency this winter.

The Astros will, however, be freeing up over $50 million in salary this winter with the rest of their pending free agents, and that money will undoubtedly be used to address its starting rotation. Snell has been on a solid stretch over the last 1.5 years, except early this year when he knocked off the rust. If he continues anywhere near this pace, the Astros will be one of many teams lining up to make him an offer.

2. New York Mets

The New York Mets are one team everybody should watch this winter. We've already seen Steve Cohen overspend on the payroll in efforts to bring home a World Series trophy in the past. This winter will be no different. He will be even more aggressive with how much money is coming off the books for the team after the 2024 campaign. Given that the team has Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, and potentially Sean Manaea set to depart from the rotation (player opt-out), the Mets will have some serious holes to fill but serious bucks to spend.

The team's current rotation is 18th-best in MLB, yet the Mets are close to a Wild Card at just 1.5 games back from the last spot. They currently have a serious coming up with the Cardinals, who are in spots four and five, respectively, for the Wild Card. With starting pitching as crucial as it is in today's game, look for the Mets to go all out this winter and address their starting rotation with multiple big names, including Snell.

3. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals will make a run at Snell here but ultimately fall short in a bidding war. St. Louis currently owns one of baseball's worst rotations, which is why they are falling behind in the Wild Card race. They addressed the starting rotation with the additions of Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn and traded for Erick Fedde at the deadline. It hasn't worked out on the mound this season. If the Cardinals wish to continue competing for the NL Central title moving forward, they will need to add a star to their starter core to pair with Sonny Gray, who has been the main bright spot in the rotation.

Snell landing in St. Louis, in the usually lackluster NL Central, gives the Cardinals a solid 1-2 punch to their rotation with Snell and Gray. Snell's overall 4.29 ERA is deceiving, given that his FIP is just 3.10. Given that the Cubs (.245), Brewers (.251), Pirates (.245), and Cincinnati Reds (.229) don't exactly crush lefties as a team, adding a southpaw in Snell would be ideal. They currently are without a single left-handed pitcher in their starting rotation.

4. San Francisco Giants

If Snell opts out, the San Francisco Giants do not want to lose Snell in free agency. There's certainly a route here to Snell returning to the Bay and wishing to renegotiate a better deal. The Giants were the team that took the chance on him capitalizing on his 2023 success, and therefore, it's likely he will have a good working relationship with the team's front office by this time.

In what we thought was Scott Boras not looking out for one of his clients, initially having Snell ink a pillow one-year contract with an opt-out after winning the Cy Young, it remains to be seen how good of a deal Snell will be able to land, and if it makes up for the fiasco of Boras having his clients hold out for too long.

I expect the running to come down to Houston, New York, and the Giants based on team names and revenue available to spend. All three teams need to strengthen their rotation and will have money to spend this winter in free agency. But first, Snell needs to finish his 2024 campaign strong. Right now, he's about the best pitcher in all of baseball.