Blake Snell‘s lengthy free agency reached a conclusion Monday night.
The reigning National League Cy Young winner agreed to a deal with the San Francisco Giants, a source told ESPN’s Jeff Passan, confirming a report by the New York Post.
The agreement is for two years and $62 million and includes an opt-out after the first season, the source told ESPN.
Snell’s deal ends a free agency that stretched to nine days before Opening Day. The veteran left-hander entered the winter hoping for a long-term deal, but the market at the price he sought never materialized, and he now winds up with the Giants, who open the season against Snell’s former team, the San Diego Padres.
Snell, 31, is one of seven pitchers who have won the Cy Young Award in both the American League and National League, taking home the trophy in 2023 after going 14-9 with an MLB-best 2.25 ERA for San Diego. He received 28 of 30 first-place votes.
In 2018, Snell got 17-of-30 first-place votes after posting a 1.89 ERA in 31 starts for the Tampa Bay Rays to beat out Justin Verlander.
Snell has long been renowned for having some of the nastiest stuff of any left-hander in the game, with a vicious fastball-breaking ball combination. When the Rays made him available for trade following the 2020 World Series, San Diego jumped at the opportunity, swapping four players for the lefty. He allowed the fewest hits per nine innings (5.8) of any pitcher who qualified for the ERA title last season, surrendering just 115 hits over his 180 innings.
Some teams, however, were concerned about bidding big on him in free agency because of his past command issues and inconsistency. The year after he won his first Cy Young Award, Snell’s ERA ballooned to 4.29. Last season, Snell led the major leagues in walks with 99.
ESPN’s Buster Olney contributed to this report.