Blake Snell Rumors: Yankees Mindset Regarding Ex-Padres Ace Revealed
One of the biggest free agents from this entire winter is still available despite spring training games getting underway. Reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell remains on the open market, and there is no end date in sight for him to sign anywhere.
One team that has shown major interest in Snell this offseason has been the New York Yankees. However, nothing has come of it yet.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale is reporting that the Yankees are interested in Snell but that they would rather make a trade to land another starter than shell out a large amount for Snell.
"The New York Yankees would prefer to trade for Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease instead of signing free agent Blake Snell, but they are at a standstill with the White Sox."
According to Nightengale, the Yankees will not consider a short-term deal with Snell. The luxury-tax charges wouldn't be worth it for them, and they feel they've already offered him a fair deal earlier in the offseason.
"The Yankees say they will not consider a short-term deal or early opt-outs with Snell because of a luxury-tax surcharge. They offered a five-year, $150 million contract for Snell in January but there was no counter-offer. If the Yankees signed Snell, they would be taxed at 110% while also losing two draft picks."
Teams have been hesitant to reach the asking price of Snell, which has been reported at over $200 million. But the left-handed ace seems content to wait things out to receive a deal he deems worthy of his skill set.
While the Padres could definitely use a player like Snell back, it remains unlikely to happen. For now, Snell will wait, but these situations typically have ways of resolving one way or another.
