Report: Angels prioritizing Snell; Giants also interested

The Los Angeles Angels have made star left-hander Blake Snell their priority after losing Shohei Ohtani to the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency, a source told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The San Francisco Giants are also reportedly interested in signing the reigning NL Cy Young winner after missing out on Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who also agreed to a deal with the Dodgers.

The Angels currently feature a rotation that includes Reid Detmers, Griffin Canning, Patrick Sandoval, and Tyler Anderson. The group is underwhelming if Los Angeles plans to compete for a playoff spot without Ohtani.

Meanwhile, San Francisco could pair Snell with NL Cy Young runner-up Logan Webb to create a formidable duo to lead its pitching staff.

Snell, who's also the 2018 AL Cy Young winner, led the majors with a 2.25 ERA among qualified starters last season. He also recorded a career-high 234 strikeouts with an MLB-high 99 walks over 180 innings (32 starts) for the San Diego Padres.

The 31-year-old ranked in the 98th percentile in whiff percentage and 94th percentile in strikeout percentage in 2023.