The New York Mets are still in the market for arms — both starting and bullpen — as the Major League Baseball’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline on Tuesday night inches ever so closer.
Blake Snell has emerged as an intriguing candidate — the San Francisco Giants’ southpaw on the trade block as the NL West club sells. They sent slugger Jorge Soler to the Atlanta Braves on Monday night to further suggest they are open for business.
The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner has had a difficult season. He signed with San Francisco late and struggled to find his footing after making the move from the San Diego Padres.
Snell gave up 15 earned runs in his first three starts before landing on the injured list with a left adductor strain. Upon his return on May 22, he gave up 10 runs in his next three starts before going on the IL again with a groin issue and a 9.51 ERA.
Since coming back full-time on July 9, the 31-year-old looks like his former self. Over his last four starts, he has a 0.75 ERA while allowing just eight hits in 24 innings of work with 30 strikeouts. In a 4-1 win against the Colorado Rockies on July 27, he struck out 15 across six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits.
It has certainly caught the attention of some of the Mets, who are toying with the idea of seeing Snell in blue and orange.
“I think he is coming back to his old self,” starter Luis Severino told Mike Puma of the New York Post. “It would be really fun to get somebody like that.”
It’s not just the players, either. Apparently New York’s front office has checked in with San Francisco about Snell, though substantial progress has not been made.
Snell would certainly bring an immense boost to a Mets rotation that has taken a substantial hit over the past week. Christian Scott landed on the 15-day IL with a sprained UCL before ace Kodai Senga was lost for the regular season after suffering a high-grade calf strain just 5.1 innings into his 2024 debut on Friday against the Atlanta Braves.
The issue is the Giants’ asking price. Per multiple reports, they are unwilling to eat any of his $23.5 million owed this year and the $38.5 million player option built into his contract. They also want top prospects in return, which has been a point of hesitation for the Mets after parting with significant capital last year to rebuild a farm system toward sustainability.
If the Giants are able to make concessions on either demand, perhaps things ramp up in the final hours before the deadline.
