Throughout the offseason the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last week we debated the best 1-2 lineup punches in baseball. This week we're going to tackle Blake Snell's free agency.
Which team will sign Snell? How much will he get?
R.J. Anderson: Maybe the Giants? I don't have a great feel for his market at this stage -- not with so many obvious trade targets available and all the large-market behemoths chasing Yoshinobu Yamamoto -- but San Francisco strikes me as needing a rotation boost. Prior to the market opening, I predicted Snell would get five years and $135 million. I'll stick by that even if it proves to be a little low.
Dayn Perry: I'll make a dual and surely incorrect prediction: After missing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers will sign Snell to a six-year deal worth $150 million. While the market probably has some reservations about Snell's walk issues and lack of ability to work deep into games, the Dodgers badly need another presence in the rotation, even after trading for Tyler Glasnow.
Mike Axisa: I was going to say the Angels even before it was reported the Angels and Snell have talked this offseason. Would signing Snell make sense for Angels? No, not really, but when have they ever done the sensible thing? They have Shohei Ohtani's money burning a hole in their pocket, they believe they can contend, and they need help at the front of the rotation. Snell is the most Angels-y move that ever Angelsed. Carlos Rodón's six-year, $162 million contract seems like a good guess for a Snell contract.
Also, I just want to say I think Snell has become underrated. There's so much focus on his high walk rate and inability to pitch deep into games, which are valid criticisms, but we're still talking about a lefty with a mid-to-upper 90s fastball, two swing-and-miss breaking balls, and elite bat-missing ability. Would I want to give Snell a six- or seven-year contract? No, no I would not, but I feel Snell has been criticized so much for the walks and short starts that the pendulum has swung in the other direction, and now he's underrated.
Matt Snyder: The Red Sox hired Craig Breslow to run baseball operations and he's a former player. Generally speaking, players don't love long, drawn-out rebuilds and rightfully so. In looking at the Boston rotation here in the short-term moving forward, it appears to be a bit of a mess. Snell's plenty familiar with the AL East from his time with the Rays, so there are a lot of reasons that this makes sense. So, sure, let's do it. The Red Sox sign Snell to a six-year, $170 million deal.
