Braves trade with the Giants should make the price on Mets target Blake Snell go up

The Atlanta Braves helped out the San Francisco Giants by taking on Jorge Soler in a MLB trade deadline eve deal. The Giants were known to have a desire to clear out some salary space with starting pitcher Blake Snell at the forefront of the rumors. Owed a base salary of $30 million next season, rumors about them selling the reigning Cy Young winner have headlined much of the discussion around the New York Mets and other teams.

Relieving themselves of Soler’s salary is a good start. The remainder of his $10 million goes to Atlanta along with the $32 million combined over the next two seasons. For those hoping the Mets could get Snell in a similar type of salary dump but with better players headed to San Francisco need to open the trash can lid. The Giants cleared out enough money to easily afford to keep Snell for next season.

A Mets-Giants trade deadline deal involving Blake Snell got tougher thanks to the Braves

Options for the Mets to upgrade the rotation are drying up quickly with Snell among the cream of the crop. Known for pitching well in the second half and already on a hot streak since returning from the IL at the beginning of July, he’s a surprising desirable trade target. He spent much of the first half getting roasted for performing poorly after a long offseason where everyone was passing on him. For at least today, he’ll be one of the most popular players in the sport.

The huge salary will make it difficult for some teams to afford Snell on their payroll for this and next season. The possibility of the Giants paying a part of his contract should remain in play. After all, the Mets wrote the playbook on trading high-priced aces at the deadline and maximizing the return.

SNY’s Andy Martino reported on Monday night that the Giants are looking for more than salary relief in exchange for Snell. They want legitimate top prospects. Ridding themselves of the money they’d have to pay Soler gives them less incentive to move on from Snell. It makes the asking price one the Mets might easily pass on.

The thought of desperation getting the best of the Giants as the clock got closer to 6pm EST and selling Snell for lower than expected no longer exists. If they want to trade Snell, they’ll have to raise the price and even consider holding onto him for a winter deal if no one bites.