Pitcher is opting out of his contract with the and will become a free agent for the second consecutive offseason.
This past season, Snell compiled a 3.12 ERA and 5–3 record with 145 strikeouts in 104 innings. The left-hander threw on Aug. 2 versus the . He was limited to 20 starts due to injuries to his left adductor and left groin.
Snell, 31, signed a two-year deal with the Giants after being available on the free-agent market until March, failing to get the lucrative long-term contract he hoped for after winning the National League Cy Young Award in 2023 with the with a 2.24 ERA, 14–9 record and 234 strikeouts in 180 innings.
The nine-year veteran was one of four Scott Boras clients who were highly touted free agents, yet could not find any teams interested in signing them to lucrative multi-year, nine-figure contracts. Each of the “Boras Four” didn’t sign until well into spring training, close to the start of the regular season.
Snell’s two-year deal was for $62 million, paying him $15 million in 2024 with $30 million set for 2025, $15 million of which would have been deferred until 2027. signed with the . (The deal included a $25 million vesting player option this week.)
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Matt Chapman signed with the Giants. And may have gotten the best deal, re-signing with the for .
However, Chapman eventually cashed in with the sort of deal he and Boras expected last offseason, agreeing to in September. He finished with a .247 average, .790 OPS and 15 stolen bases, leading the team with 39 doubles, 27 home runs and 78 RBI.
After the season he had with the Padres and two years removed from the second Cy Young Award of his career (he first won in 2018 with the ), Snell is hoping for a similar payday amid in which he figures to be one of the top starting pitchers available along with , and .