SAN FRANCISCO — With the season winding down, the Giants have allowed a few players head home early. Wilmer Flores, Tom Murphy and Mason Black all weren’t going to see the field again this year and have cleaned out their lockers.
In front of Blake Snell’s locker, a pile of cardboard moving boxes towered over the 6-foot-4 left-hander as he met with reporters Saturday morning and discussed his decision not to make his final start of the season, his looming opt out and the free agency expected to follow.
Snell was scheduled to start the Giants’ penultimate game of the season Saturday against the Cardinals but was scratched late Friday night and replaced by Tristan Beck.
“Just looking at it, I wanted to pitch as long as we were in it and had a shot. We played playoff teams, so I wanted to face them as well. Not playing a playoff team, this game has no meaning,” Snell said. “I think it was just probably the best case. If they were a playoff team, I’d be pitching. The integrity of the game. I want to make sure I give my all. If I have a chance to ruin someone’s playoff hopes, I’d love to do that. Just talked about it with people very close to me and thought that this was best.”
While manager Bob Melvin said he would have liked Snell to make his scheduled start, Snell said the organization was “understanding of it and my position.” The two-time Cy Young winner, 31, all but confirmed plans to opt out of a $30 million salary for 2025 and seek a long-term deal in free agency.
“You look around the league, you see some guys that for whatever reasons … whether it’s workload, whatever, a lot of things that transpire, this is not completely uncommon,” Melvin said. “Sure, we would have liked him to (start), but he came to the decision that he thinks is best for him.”
With six shutout innings Sunday in Kansas City, Snell lowered his ERA in 14 starts since July 9 to a league-best 1.23 with 114 strikeouts in 80⅓ innings. With a 3.21 ERA over all 20 starts, the whole body of work didn’t quite match his Cy Young campaign from 2023, but it looks a whole lot better than it did two months into his tenure in San Francisco, when he hadn’t won a game and had a 9.51 ERA.
Snell didn’t sign until March 19, didn’t make his debut until the fourth series of the season and didn’t transform into the full version of himself until after his second stint on the injured list with a strained groin. He said he hopes his free agency experience is different this winter.
“I think that was more on teams. It wasn’t on me,” Snell said of his slow-developing market. “I think what I was able to accomplish this year will make teams be more aggressive earlier.”
Despite winning the National League Cy Young last season, Snell didn’t get the offer he was looking for and was one of a number of high-profile players who went into spring training still unsigned. Other teams, Snell said, “just wanted to see me continuing to show dominance, which I believe I showed. I think that will make the market different.”
“Definitely looking forward to having a full spring training. That’s all I can think about. Can’t wait to have a full year, spring training,” Snell said. “I really like where I’m at mentally. I really like where I’m at physically. It’s going to be a really good offseason.”
A strong offseason for the Giants would include locking up Snell for the long-term, and the pitcher said he would like that, too. He and president Farhan Zaidi have had preliminary discussions, but Snell is unlikely to commit to anything before testing the open market.
Snell said he wants to find a place he can call home for the long run that gives him the chance to pitch in the postseason. and that he sees the pieces in place in San Francisco, despite the Giants’ disappointing finish this year.
“I love it here. I think we can be really, really good. I see a lot of promise. And I enjoy being here,” Snell said. “I want to be somewhere that wants me and loves me and will invest in me to be the best player I can be to help them win. I like it here. I hope it’s here. We’ll see.”
Originally Published: September 28, 2024 at 12:18 p.m.
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