How dominant has Blake Snell been this past campaign with the San Francisco Giants? Before he recorded his first no-hitter, Snell was already wreaking havoc in his last four starts. With no-nos intact, he now has an eye-popping 0.55 ERA in his last five starts, or two earned runs in his previous 33 innings pitched.

If he continues this process, he will almost certainly opt out of his current deal with San Francisco and try free agency again, this time with multiple suitors lining up to try to get him to sign. Here are the top three:

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The Houston Astros are currently 1.0 game behind the Seattle Mariners for the AL West crown and 5.0 games back in a crowded Wild Card picture. One of the primary catalysts for Houston’s uphill battle is that its starting rotation is only the 17th-best in MLB, and that gets even more complicated when you remember that both Justin Verlander and newly acquired Yusei Kikuchi are set to become free agents this winter.

But the Astros will be freeing up over $50 million in salary this winter with the rest of their pending free agents, and that money will undoubtedly be used to address the starting rotation. Snell has been solid for the last year and a half, with the exception of his rust earlier this year. If he continues anywhere near this pace, the Astros will be one of many teams lining up to make him an offer.

The New York Mets are a team everyone should be watching this winter. We’ve seen Steve Cohen overspend on the payroll in his efforts to bring home the World Series trophy before. This winter will be no different. He’ll be even more aggressive in how much money the team will take off the books after the 2024 campaign. Given the team’s departures from the rotation (player exemption) of Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, and potentially Sean Manaea, the Mets will have serious holes to fill, but serious money to spend.

The team’s current rotation is 18th-best in MLB, but the Mets are just 1.5 games out of last place and within striking distance of a Wild Card. They currently have a serious run at the Cardinals, who are in fourth and fifth place, respectively, for the Wild Card. With starting pitching being as important as it is in today’s game, expect the Mets to go all-in this winter and address the starting rotation with multiple big-name players, including Snell.

The Cardinals will make a move for Snell here but ultimately fall short in a bidding war. St. Louis currently has one of the worst rotations in baseball, so they are behind in the Wild Card race. They addressed the starting rotation by adding Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn and traded for Erick Fedde at the deadline. He hasn’t worked on the mound this season. If the Cardinals want to continue competing for the NL Central title, they will need to add a star to their starting core to pair with Sonny Gray, who has been the main bright spot in the rotation.

Snell landing in St. Louis in the usually uninspiring NL Central gives the Cardinals a solid 1-2 punch in their rotation with Snell and Gray. Snell’s 4.29 ERA overall is misleading considering his FIP is just 3.10. Adding a lefty to Snell would be ideal, considering the Cubs (. 245), Brewers (. 251), Pirates (. 245) and Cincinnati Reds (. 229) aren’t exactly overwhelming left-handers as a team. They don’t currently have a single left-handed pitcher in their starting rotation.

If Snell opts out, the San Francisco Giants wouldn’t want to lose Snell in free agency. There’s certainly a way for Snell to return to the Bay Area and renegotiate a better deal. The Giants were the team with the chance to capitalize on his 2023 success, and as such, he’s likely to have a good working relationship with the team’s front office by this time.

We thought Scott Boras wasn’t thinking about one of his clients, and signed Snell to a one-year waiver after winning the Cy Young. It remains to be seen how good a deal Snell can get, and whether he can make up for the fiasco that Boras created by making his clients wait too long.

Based on team names and disposable income, I expect the race to come down to Houston, New York and the Giants. All three teams need to bolster their rotations and have money to spend in free agency this winter. But first, Snell needs to finish the 2024 season strong. Right now, he’s the best pitcher in all of baseball.