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Blake Snell's stay at the San Francisco Giants could wind up way earlier than expected. The defending National League Cy Young winner has been scouted by multiple teams as a possible trade option. With the Giants desperately needing to cut down their luxury tax, a deal might come before the deadline.
Blake Snell signed a two-year $62 million deal with the Giants after a stellar 2023 season that saw him record 14-9 with 2.25 ERA and 234 strikeouts over the course of the season. But that form was quickly lost, as the 31-year-old earned 15 runs in his first three starts.
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After two month-long injury layoffs, Snell seems to have found his rythym again. In his last three starts, the former Padres pitcher has struck out 15 batters over 18.0 innings, earning just two runs.
Even though his season stat line is off the charts (0-3, 5.83 ERA), teams around the league have contacted the Giants for a possible trade.
Why Blake Snell's trade might not help Giants' luxury tax situation?
The biggest challenge should be the size of the contract Snell's agent Scott Boras accepts in the offseason.
It would seem like letting go of the $62 million contract could help fix the Giants' situation, but that's not the case. Unfortunately for San Francisco, Snell's contract has a deferred signing bonus of $17 million, which is due to be paid in 2026 and is non transferrable. Moreover the luxury tax savings by dealing Snell away this year would be a meagre $5 million, which won't help Farhan Zaidi's cause.
The Giants are 49-55 this season. They are 4.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks who are third in the NL West. It's only fair for the management to let go of some of the big names in exchange of few prospects' packages, which would help in a rebuild.
As per the current situation, because of the type of contracts signed by the organisation, like Blake Snell's, it's almost impossible for the Giants to shed the roster enough to bring it under the $237 million luxury tax threshold.
