Astros GM gets 100% real on failed Blake Snell pursuit in free agency

Last season, the Houston Astros saw their season end against the Texas Rangers in the ALCS. Houston wants to take the next step this season, and they tried to get one of the best pitchers in the league, Blake Snell, in free agency. The Astros were hoping to bring him over from the San Diego Padres to Houston in the offseason. They weren’t able to get it done, however, as Snell ended up signing with the San Francisco Giants.

The Astros already have a loaded roster and they should be one of the best teams in the MLB this season. Still, getting Blake Snell would’ve been huge, and it would’ve bolstered their World Series chances. The Astros gave it a shot, but they couldn’t get it done.

“We were having conversations,” Astros general manager Dana Brown said, according to an article from The Athletic. “I don’t know how close we were. I thought we had a chance. Obviously, the Giants were willing to do more, but we were having conversations with him. The only thing you can do is get involved, take it where you’re able to take it and leave it at that.”

Brown went on to say that he is happy with his current rotation in Houston, but Snell is a unique talent, so they had to give it a shot.

“It’s a different guy,” Brown said. “If we have a bunch of guys that are similar to the other guys that are available, why go after them? Why pay more money for the same production? We feel like if we get Snell, that’s a huge piece, so you have to be on the market for a guy that’s a huge piece like that. But the other guys that are available, they compare to all of our guys that we have depth with. I wouldn’t want to pay more money and we got a guy right around the minimum or a little bit more. That wouldn’t be smart.”

Snell chose the Giants, but the Astros are still in very good shape heading into the 2024 season. We’ll see if they can achieve their goal and win another World Series.