Giants Baseball Insider

Giants Look To Have Dodged Major Bullet Not Bringing Back Ace in Free Agency

The San Francisco Giants dodged a bullet this past offseason watching a player depart in free agency.
Kenneth Teape|
Apr 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (7) throws during the third inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.
Apr 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (7) throws during the third inning against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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San Francisco Giants

This past offseason, the San Francisco Giants had a massive void created in their starting rotation.

After putting together a stellar second half of the 2024 campaign, their ace, Blake Snell, declined the second year on his contract to re-enter free agency.

It ended up being the right move for him, as he was able to land the long-term, lucrative contract he sought when he hit the market ahead of the 2024 season.

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Not only did the Giants now have to fill a spot in their rotation, they had to watch Snell sign a five-year, $182 million deal with one of their biggest rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner was paid handsomely, with an annual average of $36.4 million, which is the third highest behind Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies and Jacob deGrom of the Texas Rangers.

Unlike those two studs, who are both performing at a high level as likely All-Stars and Cy Young Award contenders, Snell isn’t giving the Dodgers anything.

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He is on the injured list, which has become the norm for him throughout his Major League career.

The combination of his injury history and what he is owed in the future has to have San Francisco feeling good that they didn’t commit long-term to Snell, who has what could turn into one of the worst contracts in baseball.

“In other words, it was always unlikely Snell would live up to the "top three pitcher" hype over the duration of this contract, but making just two appearances through nearly 10 percent of the deal has been brutal,” wrote Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report, who placed the talented lefty on a list of the 10 most cringy contracts in the game.

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The Giants haven’t received much production from Snell’s replacement, Justin Verlander, but at least they aren’t committed to him beyond the 2025 season after agreeing to a one-year deal in free agency.

San Francisco hasn’t missed Snell a ton this year either, with Robbie Ray returning to his dominant form alongside Logan Webb atop the team’s rotation.

The money saved by not paying Snell in free agency went toward upgrading the offense, with shortstop Willy Adames signed in free agency and the team acquiring slugger Rafael Devers recently from the Boston Red Sox.

For more Giants news, head over to Giants On SI.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

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