Negotiating contracts in MLB can be rough.
Of course, free agency presents players with an opportunity to make life-changing money.
However, other factors come into play in the recipe that is signing a contract.
You get circumstances and situations such as how other teams value players, their own validation of themselves, the intervention of agents, deals signed by similarly rated players, how quickly spring training and the season are approaching, health, and age; and you get a contract that considers all those things.
Blake Snell, who agreed to sign a two-year, $62 million contract with the San Francisco Giants on Monday, is the perfect example of missed opportunities and his agent misreading the market.
His initial ask for teams was outrageous, probably influenced by the fact Yoshinobu Yamamoto got 12 years and $325 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Blake Snell this offseason… requested —> 9 years, $270,000,000 …was offered —> 6 years, $150,000,000 …signed for —> 2 years, $62,000,000,” Codify Baseball tweeted.
Blake Snell this offseason…
…requested —> 9 years, $270,000,000
…was offered —> 6 years, $150,000,000
…signed for —> 2 years, $62,000,000— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 19, 2024
Per the tweet above, Snell started the winter asking for a $270 million commitment over nine years.
The New York Yankees offered him something in the neighborhood of six years and $150 million, and he immediately rejected them.
He, and his agent Scott Boras, believed he would get more even if that happened in January: they were running out of time, most teams filled their pitching needs within their budget, and moved on.
Maybe he wanted something close to what Yamamoto got, but front offices value youth over almost anything else: the Dodgers’ new star is 25, and Snell is 31.
Yes, Snell has two Cy Young awards, but no one wants to pay a pitcher (an injury-prone one, at that) close to $30 million per year until he is 40.
NEXT: Fans React To Blake Snell's Contract