The San Francisco Giants have continually tried to improve their team through free agency over the past few seasons. It just didn’t work out in any way.

The Giants turned down the most expensive free agents, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. In another incident, Carlos Correa’s injuries caused the Giants to withdraw the contract offer he was about to accept. Then the Giants quietly started signing free agents and it still didn’t pay off.

One of the biggest names the Giants successfully acquired was two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell. The 31-year-old starting left tackle signed so late in the offseason that he wasn’t ready for Opening Day and had anything but a normal season from that point on.

Snell struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness in the first half, but by July he was the best pitcher in Major League Baseball. A scenario has emerged where Snell re-enters the free agent market and the future is difficult to predict.

The Giants would like to keep Snell, but they will face stiff competition. FOX 43’s Cale Ahearn predicted Snell would sign for $150 million for five years with the New York Yankees, who are defending their American League pennant.

“After there was reported interest in signing Snell last offseason, I believe the Yankees will find a way to get a deal done for 2025 and beyond,” Ahearn said.

“Snell with New York right-hander Gerrit Cole would immediately give the Yankees one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball. A year after the team reached the World Series, this kind of splash and power move could keep the team in contention next season.”

Snell only threw over 130 innings twice in his career, but won the Cy Young Award both times. The Yankees would be as likely as any other team to bet that Snell still has magic in the tank, considering they’re desperate to win a World Series for the first time since 2009.

The Giants still have Logan Webb anchoring their rotation, so losing Snell doesn’t leave them completely out in the cold. Still, it would be a tough blow for a team desperate to prove it can compete in the highly competitive National League West.

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