Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell has reached a significant agreement with the San Francisco Giants, signing a lucrative $62 million, two-year contract. The deal includes a $17 million signing bonus, a $15 million salary for this year, and a potential $30 million payout if Snell remains with the team for the 2025 season. The 30-year-old left-hander boasts an impressive career record of 71-55 with a 3.20 ERA over eight major league seasons, clinching Cy Young Awards in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays and in 2021 with the San Diego Padres.
Snell's decision to join the Giants comes just days before the season opener, raising the possibility of facing his former team, the Padres, in his debut. He will bolster a pitching rotation that already features talented arms like Logan Webb, Jordan Hicks, and Kyle Harrison, with Alex Cobb currently recovering from hip surgery.
This move adds to the Giants' recent string of significant acquisitions, including signing outfielder Jung Hoo Lee to a $113 million, six-year contract, securing pitcher Jordan Hicks with a $44 million, four-year deal, bringing outfielder Jorge Soler on board with a $42 million, three-year contract, and extending third baseman Matt Chapman's contract for $54 million over three years.
Snell, originally drafted by the Rays in 2011, made his major league debut in 2016 and quickly rose to prominence, culminating in his first Cy Young win in 2018. Despite a challenging 2019 season marked by injuries, Snell rebounded to deliver a stellar performance in 2021, leading the National League with a 2.25 ERA and securing his second Cy Young Award.
San Diego will receive a compensatory draft pick after the fourth round due to Snell's rejection of a $20,325,000 qualifying offer. In return, the Giants will forfeit their third-round pick and $500,000 in international signing bonus allocation, following the loss of their second-round selection and $500,000 in allocation for signing Matt Chapman.
