Blake Snell
Everybody might not like this, but Snell staying in Tampa Bay much longer is not very realistic. Tampa Bay is all about having young, inexpensive talent.
Snell, 28, is under contract through 2023, being owed a total of $40.8 million over the next three seasons. This could be a bargain if he pitches to his maximum potential, as he did when he won the 2018 AL Cy Young award.
There were financial hurdles last season and there will be more in 2021 as we are living in a pandemic and having MLB fans in attendance is going to be fairly unlikely, causing teams to lose money.
The Rays always want to have a smaller payroll compared to other teams and rely on their analytics and scouting departments to find inexpensive talent. Snell is a stud and did very well in the playoffs but might be on the move because the Rays could see him as being too expensive.
The San Diego Padres are looking to trade for anyone on the market, as they want to turn the corner and become legitimate contenders. They would be interested in Snell and they have plenty of talent in their farm system that would interest Tampa Bay. Another team who is looking to add starting pitching is the Philadelphia Phillies, as they lost Jake Arietta’s contract this offseason.