San Diego Padres rumors: Could this AL team be the next stop for Blake Snell?

According to one MLB insider, the San Diego Padres may not have to worry about facing Blake Snell as a member of a National League team in the near future if the Cy Young favorite does indeed leave San Diego this offseason.

San Diego Padres rumors: Seattle Mariners may be destination for Blake Snell

In his Sunday column for USA Today, MLB insider Bob Nightengale believes there are reasons why the Mariners may indeed pursue Snell after a season that could well land him the NL Cy Young Award.

"The Seattle Mariners’ shrewdest move this winter could be signing Padres free-agent ace Blake Snell, a Seattle native, and trading some of their young pitching depth for position players," Nightengale wrote.

Yes, Snell is from Seattle, so playing for the hometown Mariners certainly has an emotional connection to it. There's also the matter that the Mariners just missed the postseason in 2023 after entering the playoffs in 2022 as a Wild Card team and breaking a 21-year postseason drought. That postseason entry ended in heartbreak with an emotional defeat at the hands of the Houston Astros, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of Mariners fans.

Bringing Snell on board could be another step toward conquering what will be a very tough AL West again in 2024. After all, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros are opening against each other in the ALCS on Sunday night and Houston is coming off a World Series championship run.

Nightengale wrote back in September that the Padres were not expected to keep Snell, who could well earn a $200 million deal in free agency after posting an MLB-leading 2.25 ERA over 32 starts spanning 180.0 innings. His 182 ERA+ and 5.8 hits allowed per nine innings also led all MLB starters.

Snell is expected to be a hot commodity this offseason, and a move to Seattle could potentially be in the cards for one of the stars of the 2023 season for the San Diego Padres.