The Blake Snell and New York Yankees connection will seemingly never come to an end, as Jeff Passan of ESPN talked about the ongoing free agent saga with the reigning NL Cy Young winner. Spring Training games have already kicked off with the Yankees beginning games this weekend as well, and yet one of the top starters in the game still hasn’t found a home. As has been the case for a lot of the free agents on the board, Blake Snell is not only without a team but seemingly without a market, although Jeff Passan believes it’ll come down to two teams.
On the topic of Blake Snell, Passan mentioned on ESPN that he believes the Yankees make the most sense for the left-hander’s services, but has also mentioned the Angels as a team that has made sense from the beginning. It’s unclear what this means for the Yankees and their pursuit of Snell, but Jeff Passan believes the Bronx Bombers are still in on one of the game’s top starters.
Blake Snell Still Connected to the Yankees
Sep 25, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Blake Snell (4) pitches during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Money is the biggest question regarding the New York Yankees and Blake Snell, and it’s why reports have come out downplaying the team’s interest in his services. This isn’t just speculation, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the Yankees have a payroll exceeding $300 million and any additional expenses will result in a 110% tax as well. For example, if they were to give Blake Snell a contract that pays him $30 million for the 2024 season, the team would be charged an additional $33 million on top of that.
Paying $63 million for a single player would be absurd; even Shohei Ohtani doesn’t account for that much of a luxury tax hit to the Dodgers’ pockets. This isn’t to say that money shouldbe a hurdle for the Yankees, but given the spending patterns of all 30 teams including the New York Mets, it’s hard to imagine that they pull off such an expensive move. Hal Steinbrenner did provide an interesting quote regarding spending and what he’d be open to listening to on the free agent market:
“Given where we are payroll-wise, any addition to the clubs going to be a costly one, but I’m still willing to consider anything that comes my way, anything Cash and his team brings my way. I’ll leave it at that. But we are not done trying to improve this team.”
Dec 21, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; Hal Steinbrenner during a press conference at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports
When Aaron Judge made comments earlier in the week that hinted at a potential move, the buzz around any potential additions grew as well. Again, the addition of Blake Snell is a logistical issue; not a roster one, the Yankees would probably love to slot him in their rotation behind Gerrit Cole. You push everyone down a spot on the depth chart and sign one of the best pitchers in the game all in one swing, it’s a home run for the team.
That being said, you cannot blame an owner for not paying $63 million for one addition, especially when one of their impending free agents include a generational left-handed hitter who will only be 26-years-old next winter. Perhaps Blake Snell sees his market fall into a range where the Yankees are willing to pounce, but it’s a stalemate with no end in sight and no clear frontrunner as of today.
