New York Yankees Rumors: Five intriguing non-tendered players to watch

As we enter the month of December, the MLB non-tender deadline is now in the rearview mirror.  Due to this, many intriguing players are now free agents and could pop up in Yankees rumors.

Outside of “Super Two” candidates, MLB players are required to compile three years of service time before they are eligible for salary arbitration. Service time can be compiled by spending time on either the 25-man roster or the major league disabled list.

The salary arbitration process continues until a player has compiled six years of service time, or until a player is non-tendered by his current club.  Following six years of service time (or becoming non-tendered), a player is able to reach free agency.

Although it may not make sense for a team to not offer a contract to a player with one or more years of team control remaining, it may benefit a team for salary purposes or roster flexibility.  An example of a notable non-tendered player came when the Los Angeles Dodgers decided to let Russell Martin reach free agency despite having two additional years of team control remaining.

After reaching the National League All-Star team in both 2007 and 2008 for the Dodgers, Martin put together a lackluster 12 home runs in 2009 and 2010 combined.  As he received a $5.05 million salary in 2010 through arbitration, he would have likely received at least a $6.00 million salary through arbitration in 2011.

Due to the salary commitment alongside the decline in Martin’s play, the Dodgers chose to maintain payroll flexibility by moving on from their former up-and-coming catching option  The New York Yankees benefited greatly from the Dodgers decision after they signed Martin to a one year, $4.00 million contract ahead of the 2011 season.

Martin had not yet reached six years of MLB service time following the conclusion of his one-year pact with the Yankees, so the team had the option to retain him for a second season through salary arbitration.  As Martin rebounded in 2011 by earning an American League All-Star appearance (and compiling 18 home runs), the Yankees decided to tender him a contract for the following season.

Martin earned $7.50 million in 2012 before going on to earn an additional $97.0 million in free agency (including his salary in the upcoming 2019 regular season).  This is a rare case of a non-tendered player reaching this level of success, but there are always intriguing players available following the non-tender deadline.

The following are five recently non-tendered players the Yankees could target in free agency, so you could end up hearing their names in Yankees rumors soon.

The Chicago Cubs decided to non-tender a player that they recently acquired from the New York Yankees for cash considerations or a player to be named later.

Ronald Torreyes became a fan-favorite during his time in New York as a scrappy, productive, versatile bench player.  Even though he is a solid presence on the field, he is most known for his camera work off of the field.

Throughout the Yankees surprising run to game seven of the AL Championship Series against the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros in 2017, Torreyes would hold a talk show in the dugout following each home run.  He would be seen holding a fake camera in the dugout while he interviewed a player entering the dugout following a home run.

Other players joined him by using their bats as boom microphones and regular interview microphones, which seemed to bring the team close together before their playoff run.  The Toe-Night Show quickly became must-see television and the Yankees fan base has loved Torreyes ever since the debut show.

Nonetheless, with Didi Gregorius on the shelf due to recently undergoing Tommy John surgery, the team needs a temporary option in their middle infield.  Although the team recently designated Torreyes for assignment before trading him to the Chicago Cubs, they will likely be very interested in bringing him back into the fold.

This is due to the .281/.308/.374 slash-line that he has compiled through 221 games with the Bronx Bombers as well as his ability to play shortstop, third base, and second base.  Even though the Yankees would likely be focused on bringing Torreyes back on a minor league deal, he could end up seeing significant playing time at shortstop or second base next season while Gregorius heals up.

The Milwaukee Brewers were able to acquire a young, talented second baseman as the Baltimore Orioles decided to change course and pursue a rebuild.  However, after a poor showing down the stretch last season, the Brewers decided to make this second baseman a non-tendered free agent.

Throughout his six seasons as a member of the Baltimore Orioles, Jonathan Schoop put together a slash-line of .261/.296/.450.  In 2017, he earned his first AL All-Star appearance and ended the season with an impressive slash-line of .293/.338/.503.

Although his performance dipped a bit in 2018, the capability of Schoop to return to his 2017 form will make him a very popular option on this years open market.  As the Yankees could move Gleyber Torres to shortstop while Gregorius recovers from his recent surgery, a door could open at second base for Schoop.  This may be the best opportunity for Schoop to rebuild his value next season as the Yankees have their sights set on another deep October run.

Schoop also holds a career .411 slugging percentage through 39 games played at Yankees Stadium.  Through his 72 total games played against the Bronx Bombers, Schoop holds a .422 slugging percentage.  The memories of power from this right-handed hitting second baseman could influence the Yankees front office to take a chance on him now that he is available on the open market.

Despite compiling a lackluster slash-line of .202/.246/.331 during his time with the Milwaukee Brewers last season, he still managed to put together 21 home runs and 22 doubles on the season.  This marked his third straight season of at least 21 home runs and 22 doubles, which shows the potential slugging ability he could add to the Yankees lineup while Gregorius recovers.

The Cincinnati Reds made a somewhat surprising non-tender decision by allowing a speedy outfielder to reach the open market.

Billy Hamilton has played in at least 114 games in each of the past five season for the Cincinnati Reds.  During this time, he holds a slash-line of .244/.297/.332 alongside a whopping 264 stolen bases.

Although his slash-line was not very impressive during his time in Cincinnati on the offensive side of the field, he rates extremely well on the defensive side of the field.  During the aforementioned five seasons with the Reds, Hamilton put together a 6.6 dWAR alongside a 2.43 RF/9.

The switch-hitting outfielder also compiled 87 doubles, 34 triples, and 21 home runs during this time.  More impressively, he was able to compile at least 56 stolen bases in each season from 2014 through 2017.

During his time in the minor leagues, Hamilton spent a considerable amount of time at shortstop while also spending time at second base.  Due to this, the Yankees could look to bring him into the fold as an outfielder that can also fill in as a middle infielder.

Between his ability to swipe bases at a moments notice, his ability to cover ground on defense, and his ability to hit for extra bases, Hamilton should be an intriguing option to watch out for now that he is a free agent for the first time in his career.  As the Yankees went through a slew of outfielders last season, they may be interested in Hamilton for additional depth if they strike out on other outfield options.

The Arizona Diamondbacks decided to not offer contracts to three players prior to the non-tender deadline and one of these players could help the Yankees next season.

Chris Owings was once thought of as the shortstop of the future for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  This thought process also led Brian Cashman to have seize an opportunity to acquire Didi Gregorius to replace Miami Marlins owner Derek Jeter at shortstop following his retirement.

Even though Owings has already greatly helped the Yankees by pushing Gregorius out of Arizona, he could once again provide assistance to the organization.  Through 580 games played with the Diamondbacks, Owings put together a modest slash-line of .250/.291/.378 while spending time on defense at shortstop, second base, third base, and all three outfield positions.

Although the Yankees presumably acquired Tim Locastro to serve as a utility option for next season, the organization will definitely still be on the lookout for further depth options.  As Owings is a very capable right-handed hitter with plenty of experience all over the field on defense, he may be on the top of the Yankees wish list as far as depth signings are concerned.

Owings is still only 27-years-old, so he could also have unlocked potential that could show through after a change of scenery.  After all, he once compiled 24 doubles, 11 triples, and 5 home runs to help put together a .277/.315/.416 slash-line through 119 games in 2016.  If the Yankees could receive some semblance of the 2016 version of Owings, he would be an incredible depth signing for the organization.