Blake Snell was outspoken recently in expressing concerns over his financial future, and the Tampa Bay Rays star has now decided to hire one of the most powerful agents in sports.
Snell said Monday that he is changing representation, but he did not discuss specifics. According to Ken Rosenthal and Josh Tolentino of The Athletic, Snell has left Apex Baseball to sign with Scott Boras.
Snell is signed through the 2023 season. Apex negotiated his current five-year, $50 million deal, which he signed in March of 2019 and was the largest contract in MLB history for a player before he reached arbitration. The left-hander will be 31 when he is scheduled to become a free agent in 2024.
While Snell is not up for a new contract anytime soon, it may not be a coincidence that he has hired Boras at a time when MLB is negotiating a deal with players for a likely abbreviated 2020 season. Snell was outspoken in criticizing team owners for asking players to take a pay cut, and Boras has also spoken out against the league over the handling of the negotiations.
Snell dealt with injuries last season and underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery. He made just 23 starts and posted a 4.29 ERA. The season was a major disappointment for him after he won the Cy Young Award in 2018 with a 21-5 record and outstanding 1.89 ERA.
