Tampa Bay Rays: Blake Snell is the clear cut AL Cy Young favorite

As the Tampa Bay Rays are set to play the final eleven games of the 2018 MLB season, they are trying to have their first winning season since 2013. In 2013, they went 92-71. As of now, they are 85-66. This would end up making them 19 games over .500. One of the reasons for why the 2018 season has been somewhat successful for the Rays is what Blake Snell has been doing this season.

In his third season in the majors, Blake Snell became the first pitcher this season to win twenty games. In 29 starts, he has a 20-5 record, 1.97 ERA and has 200 strikeouts. He is in the top ten in many of the pitching categories. I know that they’re are putting him in the talk of the American League Cy Young race. It’s worth noting that the race for the American League Cy Young is not as shut down as the National League. This is because you have guys like Cory Kluber, Luis Severino, and Rick Porcello who are all in the running. While the Rays are not in the same position as the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, or Boston Red Sox; I could see voters holding that over Snell.

If I were a voter, I would vote for Blake Snell. This guy had a career year that will help him for the long haul. He is on a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. After the season he put in, I would think that the Rays don’t let him go when his contract is up. He is not a free agent until 2023. If this is what Blake Snell has to offer to the Tampa Bay Rays, then they have their ace for the next ten years. If he gets one more win this season, he will hold the record for most wins by a Tampa Bay Rays pitcher. My Message to the Rays is you should start building the team around this guy.