Report: SF Giants plan to keep Blake Snell past trade deadline

Jul 30, 2024, 7:45 AM

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - APRIL 12: Blake Snell #7 of the San Francisco Giants acknowledges the crowd du...

(Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

Shortly following the trade of designated hitter Jorge Soler to the Atlanta Braves late Monday night, it seemed like an inevitability that the San Francisco Giants would be moving starter Blake Snell before the MLB trade deadline passes.

Not so fast.

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Giants plan to keep the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner and continue to push toward the postseason.

San Francisco (53-55) enters play on Tuesday sitting four games behind the third and final NL Wild Card spot, but that apparently isn’t deterring team president Farhan Zaidi from targeting the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2021.

The San Francisco Giants, who dumped DH Jorge Soler and his contract last night, plan to keep starter Blake Snell and give their team a legitimate shot at the playoffs.
They are 4 games back in the wild-card race (53-55) with their next 12 games against teams with losing records.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 30, 2024

More on Blake Snell trade deadline buzz

The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly recently reported that San Francisco is receiving plenty of interest regarding Snell’s availability, and the left-hander’s impressive career-high 15-strikeout performance on Saturday afternoon only added to that traction.

Snell, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, has looked like his usual self after two stints on the injured list and an overall rough start to the 2024 season. Over his last four starts, the southpaw holds an ERA of 0.75 while striking out 30 batters over 24.0 innings.

Money was considered a factor in Zaidi’s decision to trade Snell, as the 31-year-old holds a $30 million player option for 2025 that will only add to an already bloated team payroll.

Shedding Soler and $26 million of his remaining salary gave the Giants some breathing room, and now we’ll have to see if Zaidi will opt to add to San Francisco’s roster or push forward with its current core of contributors before the 3 pm PDT deadline passes.