New Padres ace Blake Snell is still wrapping his head around the blockbuster trade that sent him to San Diego after he helped the Tampa Bay Rays reach the World Series.
Snell said Tuesday that he had an emotional two-hour conversation with Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder after general manager Erik Neander told the left-hander that he was dealt to the Padres, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com.
"I never wanted out of Tampa," Snell said. "I'm not going to be the guy that gets mad or talks crap about anybody, because they're doing their job to the best of their ability. I respect the front office, I respect Kevin Cash, and I know people want to get on him about a lot of stuff, but he's a good manager."
Cash took a lot of heat during last season's Fall Classic for removing Snell early in multiple games despite dominant performances from the 2018 AL Cy Young winner.
Snell, who signed a five-year, $50-million pact with Tampa Bay in March 2019, acknowledged his former manager's decisions didn't lead to his exodus.
"If anything, I wanted to stay there longer," the 28-year-old added. "I wanted to be a Ray, but now that I'm traded, I have to move forward and get excited about being a Padre and helping that team win a World Series - and I'm excited for that. I have nothing but love for the Rays, they did a lot for me, and I can't be more thankful for what they did for me."
The Rays traded Snell to San Diego for catcher Francisco Mejia, pitching prospects Luis Patino and Cole Wilcox, and minor-league backstop Blake Hunt.