The New York Yankees aren’t going to ignore Blake Snell’s availability on the open market. It just got reported that the Yankees remain hopeful to sign Snell, and that they recently sent out an offer to him.
When the offseason first began, it was starting to get predicted that Snell would demand a contract that was somewhere in the area of seven years, $200 million. The fact that he’s still sat in the open market, waiting for a deal, shows that he might be looking towards a short-term deal as well. Back in January, the Yankees went out and offered Snell a six-year, $150 million deal. Unfortunately, that deal didn’t really work as Snell and his camp were looking for $30 million annually with an extra year tacked on top. Now that we’re a little farther down the line, the Yankees are tossing a different offer out to try and bring him in.
Of course, the Yankees aren’t the only team still vying for his services on the mound. Snell is likely to have competitive from the Los Angeles Angels and the San Francisco Giants in free agency. Now, it’s also worth mentioning that the Yankees current negotiations with Snell haven’t really gotten anywhere. It’s pretty much just a second offer to hopefully bring him in, and they’ll just see where it goes.
Yankees Would Need To Be Careful
It’s definitely likely that the Yankees are looking towards offering Snell a longer-term deal as opposed to a short one. The reason is because the team is already at a roster number of $307 million, which is beyond the final tier of the salary cap at $297 million. The team is paying a lot extra already, and giving a shorter deal would come with a ridiculously large tax. For example, signing Snell to a small contract worth $40 million annually, would mean that the Yankees need to pay $84 million next season for his services. They’re not going to do that.
Everybody knows the talent that Snell has, it’s more about finding the money and the right fit. Snell won a Cy Young last season with a 2.25 ERA on the San Diego Padres. The downside is that he’s had a few down seasons and his walk rate raised up a small bit. The inconsistency, factored in with his substantial contract demands, has pushed a few teams away. Still though, there’s a team that will bring him in, and the Yankees appear to be interested anyways.
