The Yankees remain engaged with Blake Snell and super-agent Scott Boras on a potential deal, but nothing has materialized up to this point.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees had another call with Snell on Monday, but there wasn’t much progress, but rather seeing if either side had budged financially.
“Top free-agent pitcher Blake Snell’s camp and the Yankees are continuing to discuss potential scenarios — they talked again Monday — but so far it’s just talk without much progress.”
Prior to signing Marcus Stroman, the Yankees had offered a five-year deal averaging around $28 million per season, which was swiftly rejected.
Financial Stalemate and Contract Expectations
Snell was looking for a nine-year contract worth $270 million, but it seems as if no team is willing to cough up that type of cash for a 31-year-old pitcher coming off his best season. It is safe to say that the law of averages will drag Snell’s numbers down quite a bit, having only pitched over 130 innings twice in his career.
However, the Yankees would love to have the NL Cy Young Award winner to pair with the AL Cy Young Award winner at the top of the rotation. They are banking on Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes to rebound from injury, but that is a risk, and the Yankees know they need more solidified starters, especially during the postseason.
READ MORE: Yankees’ funky lefty starter shows signs of recovery in first spring training start
The Yankees Can Remain Patient and Cautious
Talks may be continuing, but the Yankees are fine rolling into the regular season with their current rotation. Rodon and Cortes both showed solid velocity in their first spring training starts and while they did face a bit of adversity, the trend is looking up.
Fortunately, general manager Brian Cashman has no reason to be reactionary and aggressive at the moment since he can wait until the summer and look to acquire another arm before the deadline.
Any free agent signing now would come with a 110% tax, and while owner Hal Steinbrenner is willing to put it all on the table for a championship in 2024, locking themselves into another bad contract isn’t ideal. If it was a one-year deal with an easy way out after the 2024 campaign, this would be a much easier decision, but a long-term commitment is risky.
However, the Yankees could build several outs into a potential contract that protects them from overpaying in the future, which is still a possibility yet remains unlikely.