Major League teams non-tendered multiple former All-Stars last night and it won't be surprising if some of the 29 players re-establish themselves as Major League difference makers. For now, however, they're free agents, cut loose because their former teams didn't believe they would have been worth retaining through arbitration.
Here's a detailed explanation of what it means to non-tender a player and here's a link to our non-tender tracker. What follows is a position-by-position listing of the new arrivals on the free agent market:
Catchers (5)
Second basemen (2)
Shortstops (1)
Outfielders (5)
Utility infielders (2)
Starting Pitchers (2)
Right-handed relievers (7)
Left-handed relievers (5)
Two fifths (41%) of all non-tenders were non-closing relievers. Saunders and, to a lesser extent, Reyes will likely draw substantial interest as free agent starters.
From an offensive standpoint, the 15 position players were a feeble bunch in 2011. None of them exceeded a .271 average (Keppinger), a .325 on-base percentage (Conrad), a .402 slugging percentage (Scott) or nine homers (Scott) this past season (minimum 50 plate appearances).
