MLB insider's depressing Astros-Blake Snell take proves this offseason will never end

For a brief period of time, it felt like the long wait was finally over. It felt like Blake Snell, after months of waiting, was finally getting closer to signing.

His name popped up out of nowhere in Houston Astros rumors. It felt eerily similar to Josh Hader who signed with Houston, a team he wasn't connected to for much of the offseason. Unfortunately, no deal has come to fruition with Snell and the Astros as of now.

Another report came out saying that Snell threw four innings in front of scouts on Friday. That gave the impression that teams were interested and, again, that Snell might be finally nearing a deal. Again, no deal has come to fruition.

FanSided's Robert Murray touched on the Snell rumors on the latest episode of The Baseball Insiders podcast and unfortunately, his news was not what we wanted to hear.

It might be a while before we see Blake Snell sign a new deal

Murray had this to say regarding Snell:

"Their interest is real. Chandler Rome saying that Jim Crane has long been interested in Snell is noteworthy. But it comes down to price. The fact he recently threw for teams tells me he’s not close to a deal. You don’t throw if you’re on the verge of a deal."

Well, there you have it. The Astros are interested, but they're not interested at his current price point. It was revealed by USA Today's Bob Nightengale that Snell was looking for a two-year deal that guaranteed him $66 million with the opportunity to opt out after the 2024 campaign from the Astros. A short-term deal is likely right up Houston's alley, but they're unwilling to meet his high-AAV asking point as of now.

The Astros got Snell to compromise. He's not looking for term in this deal. They still won't bite. It's as if they expect Snell to sign for pennies on the dollar coming off of a Cy Young win. Unbelievable.

Murray not only threw some cold water on the Astros' chances of signing Snell, but he hinted at the fact that no deal is on the horizon. Saying that "you don't throw if you're on the verge of a deal" certainly makes a lot of sense. Why Snell, an established star had to throw at all is beyond me, but it does make sense that he wouldn't throw if he felt that a deal was in reach.

Snell proved he can still pitch in that throwing session, but no deal has come to fruition, and nothing is close. It only takes one team to come out of nowhere and give Snell a deal he can't refuse, but the fact that this is still going on as of March 18th is just ridiculous.

Not only is Snell pitching on Opening Day in serious jeopardy, but it feels like Snell pitching at all this season is as unlikely as ever. Teams are showing no willingness to pay up, and Snell is showing no desire to settle for anything less than exactly what he wants.

What makes this so frustrating is Snell is the player we're actually hearing news about. We've heard nothing about Jordan Montgomery. We've heard very little about players like J.D. Martinez, Michael Lorenzen, and Mike Clevenger. It truly feels as if the MLB offseason will never end.