When the San Francisco Giants signed starting pitcher Blake Snell this offseason, he was expected to become an ace for the rotation. That simply has not been the case.
Unfortunately, Snell has dealt with multiple nagging injury issues throughout his first season with the Giants. He has been unable to find his groove when he has been on the mound. Now, there is buzz flying around that San Francisco could consider trading him at the deadline.
Snell still has the potential to be a high-end starter for the Giants, or another contender. If he is made available for trade ahead of the deadline, there is a good chance that teams would come calling.
During the 2024 season thus far, Snell has made eight starts. He has compiled an 0-3 record to go along with a 6.31 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP, and 35.2 innings pitched. Those numbers aren’t greaet, but his last outing saw him pitching seven scoreless innings to go along with eight strikeouts. The start before that he pitched five scoreless innings.
All of that being said, who could consider pursing a trade for him?
Christopher Kline of FanSided has suggested three potential trade deadline suitors for Snell if the Giants are open to moving him. Let’s take a closer look at them.
No surprise, the Dodgers were named as a potential suitors. Los Angeles is looking to improve the roster to pursue the World Series that they have paid a lot of money to try and win.
Injuries have become a major issue for the Dodgers. They have had issues keeping pitchers healthy and could use a quality addition. Snell could be the right fit.
Heading to the American League East, the Orioles have also been rumored to be very interested in acquiring a top-end starting pitcher. Garrett Crochet and Tarik Skubal are two other names they have known interest in ahead of the deadline.
Snell could make a lot of sense. He would be much cheaper to acquire than either Crochet or Skubal. If they believe that Snell can get his season back on track, Baltimore would be a serious contender to trade for him.
Could the Yankees look to swing big on a trade with San Francisco for Snell? They tried to sign him before he ended up agreeing to a deal with the Giants.
New York circling back around at the deadline would make sense. The Yankees are a serious World Series threat, but their struggles ahead of the All-Star break showed the need for more help. Snell might just be the missing piece.
