Blake Snell's Fantasy Outlook with Giants | When Will Other MLB Free Agents Sign?

The MLB regular season will be fully underway in just over a week, yet there’s still a ton of un-signed players available.

A big name was scooped up on Monday evening, but there’s several more impact players still without a team. Let’s discuss it all here.

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Giants Land Starting Pitcher

The San Francisco Giants added a major piece on Monday when they landed starting pitcher Blake Snell.

When Snell is fully ramped up, he should serve as the team’s No. 2 option behind Logan Webb. Snell instantly improves the Giants’ chances to make the playoffs, although things definitely won’t be easy while playing in a loaded NL West.

Snell was with another NL West team, the San Diego Padres, the past three seasons. He was especially dominant in 2023, going 14-9 with a 2.25 earned run average across 32 starts. He struck out a whopping 234 batters over just 180 innings.

Because he’s already familiar with pitching in the division, I’d expect another strong season from Snell. He might not be able to match that low ERA, but another strikeout-filled season should be in store. I’d say the Giants’ offense is a step or two below the Padres, but that might not matter that much if Snell continues to excel on the hill - only a couple runs might be needed for him to be put in position to win a game.

The signing should be a huge sigh of relief for the fantasy owners that drafted Snell. Everyone expected him to sign at some point, and even though we are just a bit more than a week out from the regular season, signing Snell now means he shouldn’t miss too many starts, if he misses any at all.

For the leagues out there that are drafting now or soon, I’d expect Snell’s Average Draft Position to get a bump up. He currently sits 45th overall with an ADP mark of 51.07. Snell was a top-five fantasy pitcher in points leagues last season and is currently going 17th among SP, which would be a big steal in my eyes.

Other Free Agents Available

Jordan Montgomery is now the best free agent starting pitcher available. 

Montgomery pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers in 2023, combining for a 10-11 record and 3.20 ERA over 32 starts. He struck out 166 batters over 188 2/3 innings pitched.

Montgomery seems poised to join a team in the American League, with the Rangers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Houston Astros looking like the top options.

Given how some of the top free agent contacts have been structured, it wouldn’t shock me to see another team swoop in and scoop him up on a similar deal. Those four teams could all use Montgomery, but if we’re being honest, which team wouldn’t want a veteran arm like Montgomery? He might simply be waiting to see which team desperately needs some SP help at the start of the regular season. I wouldn’t think it’s going to take much longer for Montgomery to sign.

J.D. Martinez is the other really big free agent still without a home.

There’s some durability concerns with Martinez being 36 years old and only having played in 113 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, but his production when on the field should be something every team would want.

Martinez had a .271 average and .321 on-base percentage last season. He hit 33 homers among his 62 extra-base hits, drove in 103 runs and scored 61 times. Martinez finished with 117 total hits.

He’s recently been linked to the New York Mets, although again, any team with a pressing need for a designated hitter could swoop in at any minute and add Martinez. It’s more likely these big-name free agents join a contending team, but money talks.

Martinez is another player who I expect to sign shortly.

Tommy Pham, Evan Longoria, Robbie Grossman and Donovan Solano are four more free agent hitters that could be added to a team soon. These appear to be more platoon options than everyday starters, but could still be fantasy assets in the right situations. A big-time injury could turn them into sought-after players in a hurry.

Noah Syndergaard, Johnny Cueto, Michael Lorenzen, Zack Greinke and Mike Clevinger are all starting pitching options for teams. Lorenzen and Clevinger have been discussed a bunch of late, and they might go shortly after Montgomery - they could also be signed before Montgomery if they are more affordable. 

Usually these things work themselves out over time, but it’s still a shame that so many players are un-signed as the regular season closes in. Hopefully the league can come together and get things fixed.