MLB Rumors: Blake Snell surprise team, Giants pivot on Yamamoto, Hoskins latest

MLB Rumors: Angels had 'recent dialogue' with Blake Snell

While the MLB world waits with bated breath for Yoshinobu Yamamoto to decide on his next team, the reigning National League Cy Young winner is also available. Blake Snell, now twice honored with baseball's most prestigious pitching award, has been pushed to the periphery of the offseason discourse. It would appear one team is prepared to take advantage of that.

The Los Angeles Angels held "recent dialogue" with Snell, per MLB.com's Jon Morosi. Since the Angels aren't involved in the Yamamoto sweepstakes, there's no reason for L.A.'s front office to waste time in pursuit of Snell. Now is the time to strike, with the Cubs, Giants, Phillies, and other potential Snell destinations wrapped up in the Yamamoto waiting game.

It's difficult to overstate how dominant Snell was for the Padres last season. It's easy to get caught up in San Diego's collective failure, but Snell went 14-9 in 32 starts, posting a league-best 2.25 ERA and 1.189 WHIP with 234 strikeouts in 180.0 innings pitched. He ranked in the 98th percentile for whiff rate (37.3 percent) and the 94th percentile for strikeout rate (31.3 percent), per Baseball Savant.

Snell can run into trouble with walks (13.3 percent — 4th percentile), but he is otherwise difficult to criticize. The Angels are in desperate need of a No. 1 ace to lead the rotation, especially with Ohtani out of the equation for future seasons. It's fair to question the Angels' competitive chances after six postseason misses in a row with baseball's greatest player on the roster, but Snell would help reduce some of the sting from losing Ohtani. He's going to eat innings and stack wins. At 31 years old, he has more than enough top-shelf baseball left in the tank.

There's no reason for Snell to wait on Yamamoto, unless he thinks it will help his own market increase in the long run. If the Angels put forth a compelling offer while the other big-market contenders are looking the opposite direction, don't be shocked if Snell makes his move.