SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — As time wore on this offseason, Scott Boras began to hear less from Blake Snell and more from Farhan Zaidi.
The confluence of those messages came Wednesday, as Snell, the reigning National League Cy Young winner, was flanked by both men on the outfield pavilion of Scottsdale Stadium, where he was introduced as the San Francisco Giants’ latest offseason addition.
With eight days until Opening Day, Snell, 31, signed a two-year, $62 million contract that brought an end to a protracted free agency. While it includes an opt-out clause, giving the left-hander the ability to return to the free-agent market this winter, the total guarantee fell well short of initial projections.
“It was a long time,” Snell said, wearing his newly issued No. 7 jersey and a pair of Nike basketball shorts. “I know Scott got annoyed of hearing from me. Early on, I was like, ‘What’s happening?’ all the time. But we had a good plan and over time (I) got lost in that plan.”
Flying between his home in the suburbs north of Seattle and the Boras Corporation headquarters in Southern California, Snell’s anxiety over remaining unsigned turned into a sanguine focus on his preparations for the season. He faced live college hitters, most recently throwing 65 pitches over four innings.
He began to pester his agent less frequently, but when he did check in with Boras, one name seemed to keep coming up.
“With Farhan’s interest and how much I kept hearing his name come up in conversations with Scott, he just pushed me to want to come here more because of how much he was trying to get me here,” Snell said. “What happened in free agency had a mind of its own. But now I’m here and my focus is here. I’m excited to learn what it is to be a Giant.”
Snell is scheduled to throw a bullpen Thursday and could get into a Cactus League game before the Giants leave Arizona.
Zaidi had good reason to keep a dialogue going, having signed one Boras client — Jung Hoo Lee — and eventually bringing in two others in Chapman and Snell.
Of the high-profile free agents who remained unsigned deep into the offseason, the so-called “Boras Four” — Snell, Chapman, Cody Bellinger and Jordan Montgomery — two have been reeled in by the Giants. Bellinger re-signed with the Cubs, while Montgomery remains a free agent.
San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin, left, smiles as he talks with agent Scott Boras, center, prior to new Giants pitcher Blake Snell, right, being introduced during a baseball news conference Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
“I actually just got off the phone with the White House. I called to ask if negotiating three deals with Scott Boras in one offseason qualifies you for a presidential medal of freedom. They said they’d get back to me on that,” Zaidi joked to groans and strained smiles from the gathered crowd.
“Despite my joke about dealing with Scott falling flat earlier, we’ve had a really good working relationship through the years and certainly this offseason. … I will say one of the most important aspects of our discussions was not having them bleed into each other. We’ve had a lot of discussions — too many discussions — this offseason. There’s certainly phone calls where you’ll talk about different players, but it’s actually really important to keep those phone calls independent.”
One selling point that appealed to Snell and Chapman alike: Melvin, who has managed each player in the past.
Boras joked that the Giants’ new manager “has actually cost me a lot of money this offseason. Because I have players that really, really like playing for Bob.”
Asked what was most attractive about the Giants and San Francisco, Snell said, “there’s a lot.” But the first word that came to mind was “comfortability.” In San Diego, Snell played two seasons under Melvin, bench coach Ryan Christenson and third base coach Matt Williams. In Tampa, he was teammates with Alex Cobb.
“I already love the staff. It’s the same as what I’m used to. I’m really excited about that,” Snell said.
While San Francisco’s proximity to Seattle was appealing to Snell and his fiancé, Haeley Mar, “it doesn’t matter what city I’m in,” Snell said. “I know I’ve got baseball and I’ll be there all day anyway. It was more how are they going to treat me, what’s the clubhouse like, how’s the fanbase, how’s the coaching staff. Questions like that were more important to me.”
One question that didn’t need to be asked was how Snell liked pitching in San Francisco.
In four career starts at Oracle Park, Snell has never lost and has a 1.59 ERA. In three starts against the Giants last season, Snell didn’t allow a run while ringing up 26 batters over 18 innings, prompting Zaidi to joke, “I feel like the Giants should take some credit for that award with the way he pitched against us.”
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Those factors, Snell’s camp believes, should set him up for success and a chance to cash in again next winter.
Boras said that Snell had longer-term offers with more guaranteed money on the table but opted for a shorter deal with a higher annual salary and the “optionality” to potentially become a free agent again. Zaidi had previously said the Giants intended to move away from shorter term deals with opt out clauses. That, however, was what it took to get the deals with Snell and Chapman across the finish line.
“As we talked about with Matt, we’re a team that likes to be able to retain guys who do well and have them here for the long-term, but he’s going to have that flexibility and I think that was an important part of the deal for them,” Zaidi said. “As with Matt, I just think it’s really a win-win scenario.
“We’ve got we think the best catcher to throw to in the big leagues (Patrick Bailey), we’ve got a great park to pitch in, Blake’s had a lot of success in our park and in our division, so it all sets up really well for his success and for it to work out for both parties.”