On March 5th, reports emerged suggesting that the Philadelphia Phillies have not seriously considered pursuing pitcher Blake Snell despite earlier rumors of interest. While initially, there were murmurs about the Phillies’ potential interest in Snell on a short-term deal, Matt Gelb of The Athletic revealed that such discussions never took place. According to Gelb, the Phillies have been focused on maintaining their full allotment of draft picks for the 2024 Draft, making them reluctant to pursue Snell due to the draft compensation attached to him after he rejected a qualifying offer.
Despite already securing significant pitching investments by signing Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler to lucrative contracts, it seems Snell won’t be joining the Phillies’ rotation anytime soon.
Update on Blake Snell:
• Yankees are the only team to have made an offer, but the parties are "miles apart".
• Red Sox need pitching, but prefer Jordan Montgomery.
• Phillies have never "seriously discussed" him.
• Giants remain hesitant due to the loss of a draft pick.
— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) March 6, 2024
Earlier on March 3rd, reports suggested that while Snell’s potential landing spots could include the Angels or the Giants, the Phillies remained a possibility, provided Snell was open to a shorter-term contract. However, with Opening Day approaching and a mega-deal seemingly out of reach, the Phillies’ pursuit of Snell appears to have cooled off.
Meanwhile, the Giants, who recently acquired third baseman Matt Chapman, are still reportedly in the mix for Snell, suggesting they’re not done adding to their roster this offseason.
Despite ongoing discussions between Snell and the Yankees, there has been little progress towards a deal, according to reports from February 27th. While Snell’s agent, Scott Boras, proposed a shorter-term deal with higher annual value and opt-outs, the Yankees are wary of the financial implications, including exceeding the Competitive Balance Tax threshold and forfeiting draft compensation. Previous offers from the Yankees have not aligned with Snell’s expectations, indicating a significant gap in negotiations.
