According to Mark Feins and MLB.com, the New York Yankees recently offered top free agent pitcher Blake Snell a six-year, $150 million contract.
Snell is still waiting for a more lucrative offer, but at 31 years old and coming off his best season as a professional, whichever team eventually signs him will get him at his peak value. Snell has longevity difficulties and has previously failed to pitch beyond the fifth inning, which presents some issues that the Yankees have undoubtedly considered and put into their offer.
However, the Yankees are the only team that has made a legitimate contract offer to Snell, which does not auger well for his burgeoning market. The veteran lefty is coming off a season in which he won the National League Cy Young Award, pitching 180 innings with a 2.25 ERA, 3.44 FIP, 11.70 strikeouts per nine, 86.7% left-on-base rate, and 44.4% ground-ball rate.
There is no doubt that Snell would immediately benefit the Yankees’ World Series hopes, but general manager Brian Cashman is apprehensive about adding another regressing contract.
The Yankees Need to Be Concerned About Regression
Snell, 31, has a career 3.20 ERA and is expected to fall to the mean. That is still impressive, but he has only tossed more than 128 innings once in the previous five seasons, so paying more than $25 million per year may result in a net negative move. The Bombers are still attempting to get the most out of Carlos Rodon, who they signed to a six-year, $162 million contract last offseason.
Nonetheless, if Snell is compelled to accept the offer on the table, given that the Yankees still have it available after signing Marcus Stroman, it will be a steal.
Spending $25 million per season on one of the finest pitchers in the game isn’t a horrible idea, and the Yankees would probably go along with it if his price tag dropped significantly. It’s possible that free agency is being held up by upcoming TV deals, which might drive activity in the coming weeks. Teams may be waiting to see how Snell’s finances look before making a substantial offer, but the Yankees now have the lone offer on the table.
