The Astros reportedly pursued Blake Snell in free agency just before he agreed to a two-year, $62 million contract with the Giants in March, and in the end, it appears the money was too rich for Houston.
Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson, now an Astros senior advisor, joined New York Post MLB insiders Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman on "The Show" podcast this week, and was asked about Houston's pursuit of Snell, the 2023 NL Cy Young Award winner.
"We have a great leadership group with our GM [Dana Brown]," Jackson said. "Also, we have a couple of other advisers in Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell who are very much involved in our decision-making. I'm involved. [Owner] Jim [Crane] takes those decisions and puts them together, listens to our management and coaching staff on the field, talks to our GM and his staff, and then of course, some of the analytics come into the future of a player, and our decisions are made that way, along with being fiscally responsible. Being fiscally responsible, I think, is what kicked us out of the Snell deal.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"He signed a two-year deal, I want to say for $62 [million]. That's too much for him. He's been hurt a couple of times. And I think there's incentives on top of that. He's also got an option on his own. And between the four or five people that make the decisions with the Astros, we don't play that game."
Snell officially signed his Giants contract on March 19. He can opt out of the deal after the 2024 season, but if he doesn't and remains in San Francisco, he'll receive a guaranteed $62 million. He's earning a base salary of $15 million this season, and will have a $17 million signing bonus due on Jan. 15, 2025. His 2025 base salary is slated to be $30 million, with $15 million deferred to 2027.
In the moment, the Astros passing on Snell made sense because they entered the 2024 season with ace Framber Valdez and reliable starter Christian Javier atop their rotation, and expect former MVP and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander back in late April. But Valdez just was placed on the 15-day Injured List with left elbow inflammation, and young starters Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti have been roughed up early in the season.
San Francisco Giants
So, in hindsight, the Astros, who are 4-10 and last in the AL West, might have a need for Snell, even at a steep price tag.
Snell is a Giant, though, and both sides seem happy with that arrangement.