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The Chicago Cubs would never meet the insane asking price for Blake Snell

Is Blake Snell's asking price too high for the Chicago Cubs? Find out why the Cubs are unlikely to make a move for the Cy Young winner.

By Michael Brakebill

Colorado Rockies v San Diego Padres
Colorado Rockies v San Diego Padres / Sean M. Haffey/GettyImages
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If you needed more confirmation that the Chicago Cubs wouldn't be bidding on someone of Blake Snell's caliber, his revealed asking price to the New York Yankees confirmed that Jed Hoyer would be nowhere near this guy this offseason. I know the market has recently been inflated to new extremes the last couple of years, but Snell is out of his mind when it comes to his new asking price:

"Two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell’s lone offer was a six-year, $150 million deal from the New York Yankees after Snell requested $270 million over nine years. "

- Bob Nightengale, USA Today

Of course, Snell's asking price is beyond realistic and is just another way to negotiate by aiming high and hoping to land somewhere in the middle. Still, $150MM for six years is too much, despite coming off a spectacular Cy Young season.

The fact that Jed Hoyer would likely not even entertain the original Yankees' offer means we have no further reason to pretend there's a chance that the Cubs will add someone like Snell to the rotation. As we discussed, the pitching staff is likely set for the team heading into 2024. Although Jed Hoyer needs to find a healthy mix of spending intelligently while also getting uncomfortable when needed, Snell is not the player to sacrifice that many dollars.

Don't get me wrong, Snell is a fine pitcher. It's just 30M AAV for nine years is asinine. Although he recorded a dazzling 2.25 ERA in 2023, Snell's career ERA is 3.20. Over the last five seasons, that number sits at 3.37 with a 3.44 FIP. Last season, he pitched 180 innings, which was his most since 2018, but he hadn't recorded more than 128.2 in his five years prior.

This is a classic example of a guy having a dominant year, which happens to be a year he goes to free agency and hopes he can pull the wool over everybody's eyes and secure a monster deal. The Cubs are right not to entertain this contract or anything near it with Snell for one second.

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