Blake Snell Has Given the Houston Astros His Demands, But They Are Balking... For Now
This week, there's been a lot of smoke around the idea of free agent Blake Snell signing with the Houston Astros.
Snell, is still available, and the Astros, riddled with injury concerns in their rotation, now could really use him.
However, as has been the case all offseason, teams are balking at Snell's asking price.
Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
Two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell has informed the Houston Astros that he’s willing to sign a short-term deal to join them, but is seeking at least a two-year guarantee for $66 million, that includes an opt-out after the 2024 season.
The Astros are intrigued, club officials says, but are the latest team to balk at his asking price.
The Astros, who began exchanging proposals with agent Scott Boras earlier in the week, are waiting to see if the price-tag drops. The Astros’ concern is that they will be over the third luxury tax threshold if they sign Snell.
In addition to the Astros, the San Francisco Giants are involved in the Snell sweepstakes, and they recently watched him throw a simulated game in the Seattle area.
Houston is dealing with long-term injuries to Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers, won't have Justin Verlander for Opening Day, and just lost Jose Urquidy to elbow concern a few days ago.
The Astros, who have made the World Series in two of the last three years, are clearly invested in getting back there again, having signed Josh Hader to a massive deal this offseason, but the game of chicken between teams and Snell appears ready to drag on.
Snell is coming off a year in which he went 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA for the San Diego Padres. He won his second Cy Young Award, having also won the AL Cy Young award in 2018 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.
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