Boras on Blake Snell's MLB FA Market: 'Snelling Salts Have Created a Lot of Whiffs'

Agent Scott Boras is known for using puns when it comes to his clients, and he didn't miss an opportunity to do just that Wednesday.

"The Snelling salts have created a lot of whiffs," he said of free-agent pitcher Blake Snell, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "The market has definitely awakened to Blake Snell."

Snell is available for teams in need of starting pitching because he opted out of the final season of the two-year deal he signed with the San Francisco Giants last offseason.

That he is hitting free agency again with Boras is notable, as the agent-player combination struggled to find a deal they found acceptable until quite late in the offseason ahead of the 2024 campaign. In fact, he didn't agree to a deal until March 18 with San Francisco even though he was the National League Cy Young winner in 2023 with the San Diego Padres.

He and Boras surely hope it goes better this time around, and there is reason to believe it will.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com noted the southpaw's second-half run in 2024 "will likely make him much more desirable than last offseason, when compensation was tied to his free agency."

While Snell struggled out of the gates in San Francisco and went 0-3 with a 9.51 ERA in six starts while dealing with injuries in the first half, he went 5-0 with a 1.23 ERA in 14 starts after returning to the rotation on July 9. He also pitched a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 2.

In all, the 31-year-old posted a 3.12 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 145 strikeouts in 104 innings last season.

The second-half surge made the numbers look much better, but they were still a step below his 2023 Cy Young season when he finished with a league-best 2.25 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 234 strikeouts in 180 innings.

Snell is a two-time Cy Young winner and two-time ERA title winner. He is one of the most notable names on the market this offseason and positioned himself to land a marquee contract, which made his decision to opt out unsurprising.

Now he and Boras will look to cash in on the next deal.