Yankees Rumors: Latest buzz suggests NYY is favorite for Blake Snell

In Bob Nightengale's Sunday morning column at USA Today, it was mentioned the New York Yankees "still have serious interest" in Blake Snell, though they're waiting for his asking price to drop on a long-term deal or hope he'd be willing to take a short-term contract.

Neither development is exactly surprising, but it's exciting the Yankees aren't giving up their pursuit of a star free agent that could put the roster over the top for 2024. The news got better on Monday, too.

Per MLB insider Mark Feinsand, Snell "has an offer on the table" from the Yankees, while the Angels and Giants remain possibilities for the left-hander. The details of the offer are unknown, but previous reports suggested the Yanks presented Snell with a five-year, $150 million deal earlier in the offseason. Maybe it's still that, or an amended short-term version.

So what'll it be, Blake? Baseball irrelevancy on the west coast for the rest of your career, or a few less bucks to play under the biggest spotlight with a team hell bent on winning a World Series in 2024 (and with a formidable core beyond)?

That'll be up to Snell, but with spring training already here, he's probably going to have to make a decision rather quickly.

Yankees Rumors: Latest buzz suggests there's still hope for Blake Snell

Then again, a Yankees-Snell match still has its hurdles. Don't forget that every expenditure the Yankees make from this point forward will be subject to a 110% tax. As Nightengale mentioned, New York is looking for Snell's short-term ask to be in the $35 million AAV range, which would cost $73.5 million for 2024 when considering tax penalties. They can obviously defer money or convert some of Snell's contract to a signing bonus to absorb a lesser hit, but that creates an obstacle within an obstacle. Or it's a solution! Yeah, glass half full.

To a lesser concern, the Yankees will also have to surrender draft pick compensation should they sign him (Snell declining the qualifying offer from the Padres will reward SD with second- and fifth-round selections in the 2025 MLB Draft). But if Brian Cashman and Co. are concerned about that, they have much bigger problems.

But how worried are the Yankees about these potential factors? Cashman was just on the Talkin' Yanks podcast stressing that the Yankees needed to win in 2024. He said that. And fans believe it too. It felt good to hear.

If that's truly the sentiment, a few extra bucks, some contract gymnastics, and/or meaningless draft picks probably have to be an afterthought.