There were a lot of reasons Blake Snell wanted to join the Giants, but one in particular stood out above the rest.
Snell joined NBC Sports Bay Area's Dave Flemming and Javier Lopez on the broadcast of San Francisco's matchup with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday at Scottsdale Stadium and was asked why he ultimately decided to sign a two-year, $62 million contract with the Giants.
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"West Coast, I like that. Close to home. And then [Alex] Cobb," Snell said. "When I was with the Rays, he was a veteran guy. He raised me, taught me how to be a pro. He had a big impact on that, too. And I told him that before I even signed. If I come here, he's going to be a big reason. He helped build me into the player I am, the man I am. So that was big for me. I like the NL West, it's a great division. And then [Bob Melvin]. There was a lot of things."
Snell, a rookie at the time, and Cobb, a four-year veteran, were teammates on the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016 and 2017, where the former learned a lot from the veteran righty.
Now the two reunite in San Francisco's starting rotation, with Snell and Cobb both hoping to make their 2024 MLB season debuts as soon as possible.
