Padres Rumors: Reunion with former star pitcher in free agency very much on the table

When the San Diego Padres let Blake Snell hit free agency last offseason, fans were up in arms. Snell had just won the Cy Young award, but the death of owner Peter Seidler caused the team to pull back on spending, which likely contributed to Snell, Juan Soto and Josh Hader leaving town.

Ultimately, the free agent market did not treat Snell kindly, although agent Scott Boras' lofty expectations for his next contract probably had a good bit to do with that. Snell ultimately had to settle for a two-year, $62 million deal with the Giants including a $30 million player option for 2025. Certainly not the massive payday he was looking for, but the deal at least gave him an opportunity to try again soon.

As it turns out, that is precisely what it looks like is going to happen. After a rocky start to his time with San Francisco, Snell is back to pitching like one of MLB's premier pitchers and is expected to decline his option with the Giants after this season. According to Jon Heyman, it sounds like the Padres are very interested in a reunion with Snell if that comes to pass.

Padres could make a play for Blake Snell after the 2024 season

Nothing is set in stone here. If Snell really struggles the rest of the way or gets hurt, exercising his option for next season becomes a very realistic option, especially given how his free agency went months ago. However, Snell has a 1.03 ERA since the beginning of July, and that includes a no-hitter at the beginning of August.

Where things get interesting is with the Padres' interest. According to Heyman, San Diego was one of the teams that aggressively pursued Snell at the trade deadline, along with the Dodgers and a few others. With the team playing as well as they are right now and potentially with some payroll room to work with, it seems like general manager AJ Preller wants to get back to doing what he does best with Snell firmly in his sights.

What is unclear is how far the Padres are willing to go to land Snell if he opts out. The Yankees reportedly offered Snell a six-year, $150 million deal last offseason and were rebuffed. Assuming he is amenable to his current ~$30 million rate over, say, five years, the Padres would have to make a decision as to how far they can push their payroll and what opportunities elsewhere on the roster signing Snell would cost them.

Knowing Preller, fans can probably expect him to push the limits as far as he can.

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