MLB Hot Stove: Most intriguing non-tendered players

As the MLB Hot Stove keeps chugging along, a new crop of players just entered free agency after being non-tendered by their 2018 teams.

The new list of available free agents in the MLB Hot Stove includes some names that very few people know, as well as All-Star players that have become household names. A few of the non-tendered players were surprising choices.

As the saying goes “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” and there are plenty of treasures that are now on the free agent market. Sticking with sayings, for many of the non-tendered players, just because one door closed doesn’t mean that another one won’t open.

In fact, many of the new free agents could be incredibly intriguing to several clubs. The best part about the non-tendered free agents is that clubs do not have to trade to get them. Because they were not given contracts, their value has dropped. Ironically, that could increase their value to the right team and could speed up their signings.

More than half of the teams in the MLB did not tender contracts to at least one player. And, at the same time as more than 30 players were non-tendered, the San Francisco Giants actually DFA’d two players. The odd timing of this DFA announcement puts two of their former players into the free-agent market, too.

Non-tendered players lose their positions on their teams for a variety of reasons. Most are performance-based reasons, but some are simply the team’s desire to free up salary or that the player just didn’t turn out to be the right fit. The intriguing players still have plenty of pop left in their bats, stuff in their arsenal, and speed in their legs.

Let’s take a look at the most intriguing new additions to the free-agent market.

Bullpen pitchers don’t have much room for error. With only an inning or two, or even just a batter, they need to get into the game and do their jobs.

A handful of bullpen pitchers top the intriguing list. All of these pitchers had struggles in 2018, but that doesn’t mean they will continue those struggles in 2019. Each one has strengths that could improve a bullpen in need of arms. The best part for teams in need of arms is that they are cheap at $2 million or less.

Lefty setup guy

Luis Avilan was non-tendered by the Phillies but started the 2018 season with the White Sox. He’s a lefty pitcher who has a career ERA of 3.09 in seven years and 308.2 innings. His biggest struggle in 2018 was keeping batters from reaching base as his 1.368 WHIP showed.

Over the past few seasons, his K/9 has actually increased, which is always a good thing. But, he does need to work on limiting his BB/9 and with the right pitching coach, that can happen. He’s got a fastball in the low 90s, but he only throws it a third of the time. But, he uses it to set up his changeup, which is the pitch he throws the most.

He’s a low-cost option for any team that needs a lefty in the pen who can give an inning at any time.

Right-handed surprise

Brad Boxberger is another intriguing bullpen pitcher whose non-tender situation came as a surprise. Boxberger was non-tendered by the D-backs, along with two other surprising names: Shelby Miller and Chris Owings.

In 2015, Boxberger led the AL in saves with 41. And, he had 32 of them with the D-backs in 2018. But, those 32 saves came at a cost as he walked 32 batters and gave up 44 hits in 53.1 innings. He finished the season with an ERA of 4.39 and a WHIP of 1.425. The one-time All-Star had serious struggles.

He, like Avilan, could be a low-cost addition to a bullpen in need of arms.

The guy who should avoid playoff teams

At the beginning of the 2018 season, the White Sox had a bunch of relief arms that were wisely traded away for more prospects. Xavier Cedeno was one of those and he was sent off to the Brewers at the August trade deadline where he failed miserably in his playoff appearances.

During his regular season appearances with the Brewers, he was solid, posting an ERA of 1.13 in eight innings. But, in the postseason, specifically the NLCS, he practically threw BP for the Dodgers. In four games, he pitched one inning of work against seven batters. His ERA in those games was 18.00 and his WHIP was 4.000. It’s easy to see why he was let go.

Did the pressure of the playoffs get into his head? Only he knows. But lefties out of the pen are valuable and an affordable one can be useful. He could help out a rebuilding team like the Tigers, Mariners, or Orioles.

Nearly every team needs to sign or trade for starting pitching this season. None of the free agents on the market will become team aces, but they will command top dollar.

This creates a problem for teams that need pitching, but don’t want to pay ace contracts for non-ace players. It generally means that teams in need of pitching will need to look to trades, which can be equally expensive in terms of depth.

So, these three pitchers could become hot commodities on the free agent market. In all but one case, these pitchers were non-tendered for money, not performance.

Most likely to be signed quickly

Mike Fiers could be the first starting pitcher picked up off of this list. He pitched for the Tigers and the A’s in 2018 and posted an ERA of 3.56 and a WHIP of 1.180 in 30 starts. While he’s far removed from Cy Young talk, he is a guy who can eat innings and get batters out.

He was paid $6 million in 2018 and was non-tendered by the A’s because they don’t pay players much. Other than his penchant for hitting Giancarlo Stanton, he’s not a bad pitcher and can certainly be a third or fourth starter for a team that needs an innings-eater veteran arm for an affordable price.

Most likely to go to a team that likes projects

In 2018, Shelby Miller was not good. He wasn’t good in 2017 or 2016 either. But, he was an All-Star in 2015, before he was traded to the D-backs. It came as no surprise when the D-backs non-tendered him.

What will be even more surprising is if a team signs him in the off-season. Since he’s only 28 years old and made $4.9 million in 2018, he could become a project for a pitching coach. Could a coach like Ray Searage with the Pirates or Carl Willis with the Indians figure out what’s troubling the right-hander.

He’s intriguing, that’s for certain. But that might be it.

Most likely to be a comeback player

Matt Shoemaker could have died on the pitching mound after being hit in the head by a 105 MPH line drive off of Kyle Seager‘s bat in September 2016. But, the tough right-hander fought his way back after surgery to return to the mound.

The 32-year-old pitcher has struggled with injuries not related to the head injury, but in his typical fashion, fought back to pitch again. In 2018, he started six games for the Angels in September and posted an ERA of 4.97. While that’s nothing to write home about, it’s not awful. And, with the whole off-season to work on his stuff, he could be an asset to a team in 2019.

At his best, in 2016, he pitched an ERA of 3.88 with a WHIP of 1.225 and an ERA+ of 103. He’s no ace, but every team needs at least four or five starters. With a career ERA of 3.93, he’s certainly a guy to check out. Shoemaker is still in his arbitration years and was paid $4.125 million by the Angels in 2018.

Teams that need infielders should take a good look at the list of non-tendered players. There are some infielders with real history of making good plays and having success at the plate. Despite their positive history, they did get non-tendered for a reason.

In most cases, these intriguing infielders were non-tendered because they struggled in 2018. But those struggles were not necessarily consistent with performances in earlier seasons. Since plenty of baseball players can be streaky, these infielders could come up big and for a low price in 2019.

This player needs to work with J.D. Martinez 

Matt Davidson started the 2018 season with a bang, hitting three home runs for the White Sox on Opening Day. It’s just too bad when a player has his best day on the first day of the season. He never achieved anything like that the rest of the season and finished 2018 with a slash of .228/.319/.419 with 20 home runs and 62 RBI.

What Davidson struggles with are strikeouts. He finished in the top 10 in 2017 and 2018. As the White Sox had the most K’s in all of baseball, there is a chance that Davidson could have lower numbers on a different team.

He’s still in his arbitration years and has not made more than the league minimum. He’s got power in his bat, but needs a hitting coach who can create some consistency. He’s still young – by hitting standards.

As a plus, he can also pitch. So, he could be a possibility for an NL team that needs pinch hitters and relievers.

The mistake in Milwaukee

In 2017, Jonathan Schoop and Manny Machado were the stuff of middle-infield dreams. In 2018, they were both traded away. A reunion would be fun to watch and would probably bring Schoop back from the funk he experienced with the Brewers.

Schoop isn’t a bad ballplayer. His career slash is .258/.294/.444. In 2017, he spent the majority of the season batting third behind Machado. That same season, he was the only All-Star on the O’s squad, finishing the season with a .293 BA.

He’s a good middle infielder. In 2017, he led the MLB in double plays and putouts. In 2018, he had the 12th most putouts and 7th most double plays. He’ll recover from his time in Milwaukee, especially if he can work with a veteran shortstop, especially one named Machado.

Of infielders, he’s the most intriguing, simply because of his age – he’s 27. And, what’s he’s done.

Just one bad season

Yangervis Solarte had a problem in 2018. He batted .225. No one wants a guy with a batting average like that. But, Solarte is a career .259 hitter, so his level of intrigue is high. He stayed in line with his career numbers through June 2018, then his numbers dropped off in July. In mid-August he suffered an oblique strain and was put on the DL.

Solarte’s biggest problem is most likely Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. The young slugger is expected to play for the Blue Jays in 2019 and he could take Solarte’s role at third and/or short.

Solarte is 31 years old and definitely has more to offer. The Orioles need a third baseman, and Solarte only made $4.1 million with the Blue Jays in 2018.

One busy week

In less than one week, Ronald Torreyes went from the Yankees to the Cubs to being non-tendered. The minute middle infielder is certainly intriguing for his ability to turn a play and to swing the bat.

Gone is the day of a required size for baseball players and Torreyes held his own on a team loaded with big guys. His problem with the Yankees was Gleybar Torres and his problem with the Cubs was Javier Baez. They’re just better.

But, someone will need a low-cost middle-infielder bench player like Torreyes. There’s nothing wrong with him, he just was on two of the wrong teams.

When the current version of the Tigers non-tenders you, you have a problem. But, the big question for catcher James McCann is whether or not he can overcome the problem. His problem is hitting.

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He’s not a bad catcher. In fact, in his first two seasons, he had a 1.000 fielding percentage behind the dish. Throughout his time with the Tigers, he worked under manager Brad Ausmus – a former catcher – and with Alex Avila in all but 2016 and 2018. In 2016, Jarrod Saltalamacchia was the veteran catcher on the squad.

It is clear that McCann would better serve a team in a platoon or as a backup catcher. He calls a good game and he is a real asset in the clubhouse.

But, the kid has to learn to hit. In the majority of his 2018 games, he looked like he was swinging as quickly as he could to get back to the dugout. He’s got a huge, swooping swing that is quite artistic, but the lack of contact makes it a bit comical.

McCann will be a project player for a hitting coach. He’s hit some memorable home runs including a few clutch grand slams. At age 28, he is a worthy project and affordable, too.

Good catchers are hard to find, so expect him to be snapped up rather quickly. Could he be reunited with Ausmus, who is now the manager of the Angels? A little time with Albert Pujols and Mike Trout couldn’t hurt either.