MLB Rumors: Angels Hold Talks with Blake Snell; Could Sign Before Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Yoshinobu Yamamoto may not be the next major domino to fall in Major League Baseball's free agency this offseason.

According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Los Angeles Angels discussed a potential contract with Blake Snell. Morosi noted the Angels may not wait on Yamamoto to join a team to bring in Snell since they "aren't viewed as a strong candidate to sign" the headliner.

While Snell hasn't generated as much attention this offseason as Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto and others, he is far from a consolation prize.

His resume features two Cy Young awards and two ERA titles, and he is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. The southpaw won the National League Cy Young in 2023 for the San Diego Padres with a 2.25 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 234 strikeouts in 180 innings.

He also took home the American League Cy Young in 2018 when he was a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Snell is 31 years old and has never pitched more than 180.2 innings in a season. Durability and the ability to go deep into games has been something of a concern at times during his career, but his jump from 128 innings in 2022 to nearly a career high last season suggests he can still be a featured player near the top of a rotation.

And the Angels could certainly use one of those moving forward after Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason.

Losing arguably the best player in baseball doesn't exactly set Los Angeles up for success heading into 2024, especially after it failed to reach the postseason for the ninth consecutive season. Yet it still has Mike Trout and would have a reigning Cy Young winner anchoring its rotation if it did sign Snell.

If nothing else, adding the veteran could help the Angels remain a factor in the American League West deeper into the season.