The New York Mets have been major players in the race for a slew of top talents both on the mound and at the plate, and one ace they struck out on landing this past offseason could finally be up for the taking in the upcoming one.
The Mets’ interest in San Francisco Giants superstar pitcher Blake Snell was widely reported throughout the winter of 2023 and 2024, heading into spring training. Snell and his agent Scott Boras held out on signing a lucrative multi-year deal with any MLB team for months, making the 2023 NL Cy Young Award winner one of the biggest remaining names left on the market last offseason.
He didn’t resign with San Francisco until March 19, just under three weeks before he made his 2024 season debut. Now that he’s rebounded from a pronounced slump to bring his peripherals to a respectable 4.31 ERA with 80 strikeouts across 62.2 innings pitched, the superstar pitcher is highly desired ahead of his 2025 free agency.
Mets forecasted to be in play for Giants RHP Blake Snell if he opts out of contract
Pat Ragazzo of New York Mets on SI painted a picture that illustrates how the Mets could find themselves in a position to bring in Snell ahead of the 2025 campaign, saying this in part, including developments regarding his impending contract extension:
“While president of baseball operations David Stearns was unable to land a top flight starting pitcher at the trade deadline, which is always a difficult task to pull-off in season, New York could instead look to sign a multi-time Cy Young Award winner if he hits the open market this winter,” Ragazzo wrote.
“This hurler would be left-hander Blake Snell, who will ‘almost surely decline’ his $30 million player option in 2025 with the San Francisco Giants to become a free agent for the second straight year, as MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported.”
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Would Snell make the Mets World Series contenders next to ace Kodai Senga in 2025?
Mets owner Steve Cohen and president David Stearns would need to determine if chasing after the reigning MLB ERA leader would be worth it toward building a World Series contending roster next season.
Mets ace Kodai Senga’s host of injuries that have deprived him of his 2024 campaign has allowed the team to see what their ancillary talents on the mound are made of, and New York ought to be encouraged by the work that pitchers like Luis Severino and Sean Manaea have given them throughout the year, as well as Jose Quintana’s resurgent play over the last month of action.
However, even with Senga healthy, the Mets would need another top-tier arm to strengthen themselves against some of the powerhouses in the National League including the league-leading Philadelphia Phillies and the juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Mets have $141.75 million in active salaries on their books for the 2025 campaign. With almost $98.4 million in tax space and $124.2 million in cash at their disposal, New York could once again push their chips to the front of the table for Snell. He could be the piece that tips the scales for the Mets next season and beyond.
