New York Yankees fans need to stop dreaming about a Blake Snell trade

The motto may be “anything goes” for the year 2020, but the New York Yankees will not be following along with a Blake Snell trade.

The 2020 season ended in despair for the New York Yankees. A nail-biting Game 5 concluded with yet another home run given up by Aroldis Chapman sailing deep into the San Diego night.

As this moment transpired, Blake Snell was donning the Tampa Bay Rays logo. Now, the former Cy Young Award winner is a topic of trade proposals and the Rays have determined they are willing to part ways for a significant return.

The Yankees are indeed looking for an established veteran to help anchor the rotation, as well as a lefty pitcher.

Nonetheless, prepare for disappointment if you even felt a glimmer of hope for a Snell signing. The Yankees will not be acquiring him. In fact, even considering it is simply a fantasy.

Not that Snell wouldn’t be a decent fit in the Bronx — a power lefty who’s familiar with the American League East would serve the Bombers well at Yankee Stadium. It’s not the fit that’s the problem; it’s the fact that the Rays would never willingly hand over a successful veteran pitcher to a division rival.

It’s just common sense, my friends. Snell jumping from the Rays to the Yankees? Especially after he helped them make it to Game 7 of the World Series in October? It’s almost laughable to think this is at all possible.

First and foremost, in a regular 162-game season for 2021, the Yankees would face the Rays 16 times. Tampa Bay would not gift Snell to an opponent who it’s likely to see on a frequent basis. Fresh off the Rays and their run, Snell knows every single piece to their game and could easily use that knowledge to help defeat his former team.

Trading within a division is not very common and when it’s a piece as valuable as Snell, the chances of it actually occurring are very slim.

The impossibility of a trade isn’t the only factor; there’s also the question regarding just how much the Yankees would need to give up in order to acquire Snell.

The short answer: A lot.

The Yankees would have to trade away multiple promising prospects and probably a few attractive major league-level players in order to get the Rays to even look at a proposal. That might need to include someone like Jasson Dominguez, or maybe even Clint Frazier. Simply put, a deal featuring Miguel Andujar as the highlight just wouldn’t cut it.

The Yankees would be required to empty out their farm system and put out the best possible deal, which would be incredibly painful. But the Rays agreeing to shop Snell doesn’t mean they’ll settle for anything less in a return.

Do you need more reasons? There are plenty, but these are the big two that get people to stop salivating over the fact that Snell might be on the market. The Yankees will not be trading with the Rays and, in all likelihood, the Rays will begin the 2021 season with Snell holding down their rotation.

Let’s not go up in arms over the fact that the Yankees won’t sign Snell. However, everyone should get used to the idea of seeing him in a different uniform because it isn’t going to happen.