SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres have acquired left-handed pitcher Blake Snell from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for right-handers Luis Patiño and Cole Wilcox and catchers Francisco Mejía and Blake Hunt, Executive Vice President/General Manager A.J. Preller announced today.
Snell, the 2018 American League Cy Young Award winner, went 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA (18 ER, 50.0 IP) and 63 strikeouts to just 18 walks over 11 regular season starts for the Rays in 2020. He allowed three earned runs or fewer in 10 of those 11 starts and surrendered just 42 hits with a .228/.297/.429 opponents slash line. Among all left-handed starters in MLB (min. 50.0 IP), the 28-year-old ranked 1st in strikeout percentage (31.0) and SO/9.0 IP (11.30), 5th in strikeouts, 6th in ERA and opponents AVG, and 7th in WHIP (1.20) and SO/BB ratio (3.50). Opponents hit .033 (1-for-30) with 17 SO in at-bats ending with his slider, and his combined .088 opponents AVG (6-for-68) in at-bats ending with breaking balls was 3rd-best in the majors (min. 50 AB). Snell went 2-2 with a 3.03 ERA (10 ER, 29.2 IP) in six postseason starts, and while facing the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, he became the third left-handed pitcher to record nine or more strikeouts twice in a single Fall Classic, joining Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers (three times in 1965) and Hal Newhouser of the Detroit Tigers (twice in 1945).
“This acquisition is in line with our overall strategy to build a consistently winning ballclub for the great city of San Diego” said Padres Owner and Chairman Peter Seidler. “I welcome Blake to the Padres and know he will enjoy playing for our enthusiastic and supportive fans in 2021 and beyond.”
In 108 career games (all starts), Snell is 42-30 with a 3.24 ERA (200 ER, 556.0 IP) and 648 strikeouts, including a 4-0 record and 0.35 ERA (1 ER, 26.0 IP) in five starts versus NL West opponents. Since making his Major League debut in 2016 with Tampa Bay, Snell has posted the 3rd-lowest ERA among all qualifying left-handed starters, trailing only Clayton Kershaw (2.44) and Chris Sale (3.16). The Seattle, Wash. native enjoyed his best season in 2018 when he captured the AL Cy Young Award after compiling a 21-5 record, 1.89 ERA (38 ER, 180.2 IP) and 221 strikeouts. Snell led the AL outright in wins and ERA that season and became the first AL pitcher to lead the league in both categories since Ron Guidry in 1978. He went 10-1 with a 1.27 ERA at home, the lowest ERA by an AL pitcher since Nolan Ryan (1.07) in 1972. Snell was originally selected by the Rays with the 52nd overall pick (Comp. B) in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft from Shorewood High School (Wash.).