Blake Snell. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Former division rival should be Yankees top free-agent target

By Tommy Fradenburg | Last updated 1/4/24

The New York Yankees missed out on the top prize of the pitching free-agent class when Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they cannot afford to lick their wounds.

They need to sign Blake Snell.

After finishing 82-80 and fourth place in the American League East, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has already made acquisitions via trade, headlined by Snell's teammate outfielder Juan Soto to beef up what was a putrid lineup.

But in making that trade they depleted a starting pitching staff that already had major question marks behind American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole before sending away Michael King, Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez.

Blake Snell has privately expressed an interest in playing for the Yankees, per @martinonyc

"At the moment, Snell seems a more likely fit in New York than Jordan Montgomery, with whom they have also talked.

The team is looking to add to the rotation - aggressively, though not… pic.twitter.com/emML8MGtOk
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) January 4, 2024

The 31-year-old Snell won the National League Cy Young award in 2023 with the San Diego Padres and, critically, stayed healthy enough to make a career-high 32 starts.

Not only did he put up gaudy traditional stats with a National League-best 2.25 ERA and 234 strikeouts in 180 innings, but his advanced metrics backed up his numbers.

According to Baseball Savant, Snell finished 2023 in the 98th percentile for whiff rate, while his expected batting average against, average exit velocity and hard hit percentage were all in the 83rd percentile or better.

Snell is also familiar with pitching in the AL East after spending the first five seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Rays. He's made 54 starts in his career against AL East opponents, going 19-16 with a 3.53 ERA and 306 strikeouts.

His brilliant career in Tampa was somewhat tainted by controversy when manager Kevin Cash removed him just 73 pitches into a scoreless start in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series after a runner reached base.

Blake Snell's reaction to getting pulled with 1 on and 1 out in the 6th. pic.twitter.com/AZyB94eoKE
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 28, 2020

The Rays lost the game and eventually the World Series before trading Snell to San Diego.

If Snell holds any resentment against his old manager and team, he would fit in perfectly with a Yankee generation that's experienced a blooming rivalry between New York and Tampa Bay.

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