Every year, MLB’s non-tender deadline sees clubs allow some of their players who remain under team control to test the open market early, whether it be due to an increasing price tag in arbitration or a need for additional space on the club’s 40-man roster. Previous seasons have seen a number of high-profile players wind up non-tendered, including Brandon Woodruff last winter and Cody Bellinger the year before that. Kyle Schwarber and Kevin Gausman are among a handful of other star players who have found themselves non-tendered for one reason or another during their careers, and all except Woodruff (who is expected to return to the mound next year after missing the 2024 season due to shoulder surgery) have gone on to enjoy big league success following their respective non-tenders.
While players of that caliber reaching free agency by way of a non-tender are extremely rare, plenty of players find themselves cut loose early by their clubs only to make an impact elsewhere down the line, whether as a regular in the lineup or rotation or simply as a solid contributor off the bench or out of the bullpen. With the majority of teams in the game signalling on some level or other that they hope to compete in 2025, clubs who get outbid in free agency or on the trade market this winter will surely be incentivized to try and uncover a diamond in the rough this winter as they hunt for offensive upgrades. Let’s take a look at five hitters who hit free agency following last week’s non-tender deadline and could be worth keeping an eye on throughout the coming offseason. Players are listed in alphabetical order, with their age for the 2025 season in parentheses.
Austin Hays (29)
Hays is perhaps the most surprising non-tender on this list, as he was an All-Star for the Orioles just last year and has been a reliable league-average bat capable of playing all three outfield spots throughout his career. That steady production is what convinced the Phillies to trade Seranthony Dominguez and Cristian Pache to the Orioles in order to acquire him over the summer. While he didn’t live up to those expectations in 22 games with Philadelphia down the stretch, his lackluster .256/.275/.397 slash line during that time comes with a massive caveat: Hays spent the second half of the year battling through a kidney infection that seriously hampered his ability to play, as was discussed at length in a recent article from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Given the serious illness that afflicted Hays during his time as a Phillie, it seems prudent to examine his free agency in the context of his career overall. By that metric, the outfielder would be a valuable addition to virtually any outfield mix in the big leagues. Over his three seasons as a full-time player with the Orioles from 2021 to 2023, Hays slashed a solid .261/.313/.439 (108 wRC+) in 420 games for Baltimore. During that time, he generated 6.1 fWAR, a number that placed him ahead of a number of solid regulars during that time such as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Orioles teammate Anthony Santander. What’s more, Hays has continued to put up excellent numbers against left-handed pitching even during this year’s illness-plagued season that saw his role reduced to more of a part-time player: in 49 games against lefties this year, he hit an excellent .354/.407/.537, even better than his career line of .277/.331/.469 against southpaws. If Hays can rebound to the form he showed from 2021 to 2023, he could be a solid regular for a team with a vacancy in the corner outfield, especially one that struggles against left-handed pitching.
Ramon Laureano (30)
Early in his career, Laureano appeared to be a key piece of the Athletics’ core alongside Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, Sean Manaea, and Frankie Montas. Over his first two seasons in the big leagues, Laureano hit a phenomenal .288/.345/.508 (128 wRC+) in a combined 657 trips to the plate while playing solid defense in right field. After that, however, Laureano’s career was thrown off course by three shortened seasons: the 60-game shortened campaign in 2020 and the 2021 and ’22 campaigns that were truncated for Laureano by an 80-game PED suspension. Across those three seasons, Laureano hit just .225/.310/.400 with a wRC+ of 103 and noticeably less impressive defense in the field. That lackluster production continued throughout the 2023 season, as he posted a 90 wRC+ overall between stints with the A’s and in Cleveland. His second season with the Guardians got off to an atrocious start in 2024, as he hit just .143 in 31 games before the club cut bait.
If that’s where Laureano’s story for the 2024 season ended, he’d be a fairly unremarkable name relegated to hoping for a minor league deal this winter. That’s not the case, however, because he joined the Braves lineup to fill in for Ronald Acuna Jr. after the reigning MVP suffered a torn ACL. He looked like the hitter he was earlier in his career during his time with Atlanta, hitting an excellent .296/.327/.505 (129 wRC+) in a part-time role that saw him collect 226 plate appearances across 67 games. While that performance wasn’t enough to convince the Braves to bring him back in spite of Acuna’s pending return early next year, plenty of teams could benefit from a solidly above average corner outfielder who crushes lefties (.305/.343/.526 in 102 PA this year) and puts up decent enough numbers against righties to be a passable regular.
Brendan Rodgers (28)
The youngest player on this list, Rodgers seemed to be coming into his own as a player during the 2021 and ’22 seasons. As the primary second baseman for the Rockies, Rodgers hit a respectable .274/.326/.434 (95 wRC+) while improving enough on defense to win the Gold Glove award at the position in 2022. Unfortunately, what should have been an opportunity to follow up on that strong performance was cut short when he underwent shoulder surgery in March of 2023, which left him sidelined until the end of July. He received regular playing time with Colorado upon returning, but didn’t look quite as good as he had previously. In 181 games since returning, he’s hit just .265/.314/.402 (85 wRC+). His defense has also fallen from the Gold Glove-caliber showing he flashed in 2022, with him posting relatively average defense by the metrics over the past two seasons.
While the red flags in Rodgers’s profile post-surgery are obvious, his youth, pedigree as a former top-20 prospect in the sport, and the thin infield market this winter seem likely to earn him some real consideration on the market. After all, if getting another year removed from his shoulder injury can help him rediscover the form he flashed in 2022, it’s easy to imagine him posting a strong season as a regular second baseman for a team without a clear answer at the position such as the Mariners, Yankees, or Giants. Unlike the outfielders on this list, Rodgers’s competition on the infield market is similarly flawed, with only a handful of players likely to land multi-year deals.
Josh Rojas (31)
Rojas was a somewhat surprising non-tendered, given his status as one of the Mariners’ better internal infield options headed into 2025. Evidently, the club wasn’t willing to pay a projected $4.3MM salary for his services next year after an up-and-down 2024 campaign that saw him slash a decent .204/.304/.336 (91 wRC+) overall. That slash line doesn’t tell the whole story, however, as Rojas hit just .192/.273/.301 (72 wRC+) after all the All-Star break this year. That’s an untenable slash line for an everyday player, particularly given the fact that Rojas is a rather pedestrian defender at both second and third base.
With that being said, Rojas figures to be benefit from a lackluster infield market just as Rodgers does. Over the past four seasons, Rojas has been a roughly league average hitter (97 wRC+) with the Diamondbacks and Mariners. It’s also worth noting that he stands out as a solid candidate for a platoon role; left-handed hitting infielders are somewhat scarce, and Rojas made the most of his platoon advantage by posting an above-average 104 wRC+ against right-handed pitching this year. With a lefty-mashing platoon partner or in a bench role that helps to limit his exposure to same-handed pitching, it’s easy to imagine Rojas enjoying a solid season in 2025. Another notable factor in Rojas’s free agency should be that he figures to remain arbitration-eligible next winter, meaning his next club could retain him for a second season if the first one goes well.
Mike Tauchman (34)
Tauchman is the oldest player on the list, but he’s noteworthy for being the only player here to post an above-average wRC+ in each of the past two seasons. After a brief sojourn to South Korea to play in the KBO during 2022, Tauchman latched on with the Cubs and excelled in a fourth outfielder role with the club. In 217 games with Chicago over the past two years, he’s slashed .250/.360/.372 with a wRC+ of 110 and an excellent 13.7% walk rate that even earned him a stint as the club’s regular leadoff hitter. Tauchman found himself non-tendered despite that solid production thanks in large part to his shrinking role with the club in the second half last year; the Cubs have Ian Happ, Cody Bellinger, Seiya Suzuki, and Pete Crow-Armstrong all penciled into the lineup for regular playing time, and youngsters like Alexander Canario, Owen Caissie, and Kevin Alcantara on the 40-man roster as depth options.
That made Tauchman expendable to Chicago, but he should be an interesting free agent option for a team in need of a steady, high-OBP veteran presence in their outfield mix. While he’s a pedestrian defender at all three outfield spots, Tauchman’s ability to play a passable center field should further add to his value, and like Rojas he comes with an additional season of team control after 2025 should the club that signs him have interest in his services the following year. Just 11 clubs posted a 110 wRC+ of higher in the outfield in 2024, and 15 clubs got below-average offensive production on the grass overall, meaning Tauchman could be a relatively inexpensive fit for a number of clubs in need of outfield help this winter.
MLBTR is just trying to think of something to put in the site until more activity happens on the trade or FA market.
And we should be thankful otherwise when you click on the site – which you evidently are (as am I), there would be nothing for entertainment while we all wait.
Thanks, writers!
i think most FAs & their agents are waiting for soto to sign
its like the biggest piece of a puzzle will finally be solved, then all the other pieces will be able to fall into place
Any team trying to take giant steps would sign Soto on a moment’s notice.
It’s like this every year. When it comes to FA signings, most Owners subscribe to the “if it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would ever get done” line of thinking.
Super frustrating for us fans.
Would you prefer no articles until the next signing?
Especially when you read the last sentence on the Brendan Rodgers segment.
Absolutely, a real snoozefest so far!
Not trying to be a jerk, but my concern would be that Laureano went back on the PEDs in Atlanta. Although, if true, I don’t know how he got away with it.
Not a jerk. Facts show Ramon just barely above average without the roids.
The site has rumors in the name. It’s a baseball site and it’s not baseball season. What the heck do you expect them to be doing right now?
I could see the Royals signing one of the outfielders after last season’s lackluster outfield play.
Would rather see them go after joc pederson or Verdugo , but yeh
still not quite sure why braves non tendered Laureano
he seemed to find himself again in ATL
Because Laureano didn’t walk much and would cost more money than Atlanta felt they could allocate towards his salary. If he was willing to come back at around $3 million a year then, yeah they might reunite.
Didn’t want to pay him $6 million.
He can really only hit lefties at this point, plus Acuna’s probably ready to go again. Both times he got injured the Braves patched together some quick platoons only to move on from them once he returned. If he gets hurt again they’ll throw together another platoon.
@beercan
didnt braves GM say acuna’s return date is up in the air & it might be as late as June? atlanta was banged up all year, why risk losing a solid bat like laureano? im not a braves fan, i couldnt care less what they do. just curious why they made that decision
In response to johncoltrane:
Yes, Laureano did fill in fairly nicely despite the underlying statistical concerns.
Yes, Acuna may not be back until late May or June (although very early May is probably more likely from my limited understanding).
But I personally feel that Anthopoulos is trying to do everything he can to find possible roster pieces AND also reset the competitive balance tax penalties. He might not be able to do so, or some opportunity presents itself unexpectedly where he thinks the cost is worth going over the line again. But I think Atlanta is trying to be very cautious about how much money they spend constructing the 2025 Braves.
I would like to see the Rangers sign Austin Hays.
Why? Doesn’t the man want to be a regular?
He would see lots of playing time with the Rangers.
I am all for the Orioles signing Rodgers or bringing in Laureano
Or bringing back Pache
You really want to see Pache again?
He wasn’t good enough for the A’s, has no business playing for the O’s lol.
He was there for like a week if that
Who would you rather have on your club.
… .Pache or Estuary Ruiz ??
William Contreras
The Orioles have absolutely no use for any of those three.
They need a fourth outfielder….so how can you type that!!!
Ha. They probably want one that is halfway decent.
Yep, Orioles need a league level rh hitter. Hays fits the bill but so mmany illnesses and injuries through out his stay in Baltimore, Elias should pass.
Pache? LMFAO!
Pache would be lucky to sign with the Cleburne Railroaders at this point
Rojas is the most surprising to me because he can kind of hit RHPs and his defense with the Mariners has been plus no matter whwre they put him. At minimum they need an average player to cover 2B or 3B, and Rojas proved he could do both as a longside platoon guy. This organization has once again painted themselves into a corner because they’d rather save a couple million dollars instead of trying to get better.
He’s below average (95 wRC+) even with the platoon advantage for his career. And a poor fielder. They can do much better and retaining would actually be more of a sign of cheapness than letting him go.
Cheap is Seattle having a lower payroll in 2024 than they did in 2016. Its doubtful they find another 2 win infielder for $4 million in free agency. While I respect the effort Dipoto expends, the judgement is clearly lacking. A second base upgrade should be priority number one.
Rated number 6 defensively at third in MLB by Fielding Bible….plus my eyes say he can pick it
Steamer projects 2025 WAR of 0.9 in 83 games for Josh Rojas, 0.9 in 68 games for Ryan Bliss and 2.2 in 136 games for Dylan Moore.
Bliss will earn the league minimum while Moore will earn about $3.7 million.
Seattle will look for infield upgrades but the Mariners already have a decent floor.
Have you taken a look lately at MLB #1 rated farm system ??? Mariners are stacked with INF prospects. May even have to trade some away for someone better than Rojas to play 2B/3B.
While acknowledging the value of prospects in today’s game, none of them have proven themselves at the major league level. The number of Orioles prospects, a team that had the top farm system for 3 years, who struggled in their initial callup speaks to that fact. Rojas is a viable placeholder, nothing more. Insinuating that he would in any way block the youngsters is just false.
The number one farm system according to the highly questionable bleacher report. MLB pipeline’s latest rankings have them down at number nine. Nothing against the prospects, but they simply haven’t proven themselves at the major league level. The Orioles had the top farm system in the league for 3 seasons and several of their youngsters struggled in their initial callup. That includes Jackson Holliday, the number one prospect in the game.
Josh Rojas is a viable placeholder, nothing more. The onus is on the youngsters to displace him.
These guys are all decent enough players, fringe starters but none are worth what arbitration was going to cost them. Tricky because you don’t want to give up on a guy but what do you do? Don’t want to overpay either. Nice to see Laureano bounce back but no way was a team offering him 8m when he had one good half season in 2 years.
Tauchman was. He was everything the Cubs could’ve hoped for, playing solid CF when Bellinger was at first and also a great pinch hitter. He saw less playing time when PCA came up and that, along with needing room for more young outfielders coming up, is why the Cubs didn’t stick with him.
I hate to see him go. He’s really gonna help somebody.
Hays is really intriguing. I think Tauchman might end up being a great bargain signing.
While he would have to accept a platoon role, Hays would be a great fit in Detroit.
Bryan De La Cruz is young, hit well with Miami, and has a lot more upside than Tauchman or Laureano. Bryan struggled once traded to the Pirates, but in the right situation, he’ll bounce back and help out a team in need of a right-hander corner OF.
De la Cruz is terrible. He has one plus trait and that is power.
If you actually watched Bryan play, he plays a decent outfield and has even played center field, though don’t play him their regularly, that’s for sure. He is a much better player than people give him credit for, and he will prove it, given the right situation!
Tauchman deserves a major league guaranteed contract. He is a solid fourth outfielder for a good team and an upgrade on existing starters for at least a couple of teams.
“……that saw him slash a decent .204/.304/.336 (91 wRC+) overall.”
Since when is being that bad considered decent?
Since hitting 200 became a thing. You can hit 200, strike out 200 times, but if you can hit 40 homers – you are a regular in the lineup
Hitting .200 has always been a thing. Have you not heard of the Mendoza line? It has always been a BAD thing, and still is. Also, Rogers didn’t hit 40 hrs.
Any chance the reds are in on hays
Like others are saying, Hays is the obvious rebound candidate since he also dealt with injuries in the first half. The Braves, who are in serious need starting pitching depth, are yet another team that should consider signing him for LF. There’s no true weakness in his skillset and could be a tremendous value for $5 million.
I think that makes a ton of sense…. Putting him with Fraley could be a very solid platoon pairing….
I think they need a righty and not a lefty but I could for sure see reds sign him. And then that would be their offseason answer to the outfield. SMH
I thought the article said he hit well against lefties
Question O’s fans? Can Hays play center?
He could when he was younger. Going into his age 30 season and having lost foot speed—-I wouldn’t put him out there.
I like his corner OF defense.
Dodgers sign them all
And defer all their salaries until 2050
Hahaha! LOL! ROTFLMAO!
Biggie, I’ve never heard that one before!
Free agent system is broke. Unlike other sports, they just let it float all winter. Other sports have a countdown and other items that make it interesting. We wait for Soto…or Ohtani…or Harper to decide and then it dominoes. Not a recipe for an interesting off season. If you were commissioner, what would you do to spice it up?
I wouldn’t have free agency. Only trades. You come up with a team you stay with that team until you get traded or let go
Uh, you’re new to the game, aren’t you? That system was adjudicated away 50 years ago.
debubba,
The commissioner can’t force free agency to happen more quickly. Any sort of deadline only helps the owners.
If all the free agents signed early then the rest of the offseason would be boring. Right?
No one is waiting on Soto. Teams are just not willing to spend what FA are demanding. Dodgers were with snell and inked him.
“Giants interested in burns” pay his asking price then and sign him.
The Padres with Tatis, Merrill, and Profar didn’t even either Peralta taking a lot of time in RF while Tatis was on the IR?
Two teams I follow closely are the O’s and Phillies.
Both FO’s made a major mistake with Austin Hays.
Elias and DD have gone down a peg in my estimation of them. If Mr. Hays gets healthy they’ll be fortunate to find a player at his salary level that can do for their teams what Austin will be doing for his.
You might have to look inward after this comment in a year.
Austin Hays should not change a view of a front office in anyway.
Not that I think the trade was lopsided but did the Phillies get a medical report on Hayes before the trade? He also pulled a hamstring during the stint.
All five start for the White Sox right now. 1 year deals for everyone!
Ironically outfield is the only position where the White Sox actually have a few major league level players. They need an entire infield and a catcher to team with Lee. White Sox have five position players on the current roster that should make the team. Really sad…..
The article glosses over the more sobering reality that most non-tendered players are let go due to consistent underperformance, injury concerns, or a lack of elite skills. The historical examples of successful non-tendered players like Kyle Schwarber and Kevin Gausman, while compelling, represent exceptions rather than the rule.
Glossing over is all that was needed. Because its a secondary (or lesser) point that is not directly germain to what the article is saying. The article is not about most non-tendered players. Its about five specific players (out of 63) who, in the writer’s estimation, could be bargains this winter. Could be – conditional.
What would be worth pointing out is that most non-tendered players wind up signing short-term contracts for less than what their projected arbitration awards would have been. A reality that negates, or at least reduces any concerns about the players’ mediocrities.
I’m aging myself, but I absolutely love seeing you use the word “germane” in conversation….
It reminds of a funny scene from the original Smokey & the Bandit movie (with Jackie Gleason) and makes me laugh thinking about it…
@geofft
Let’s just ignore the fundamental reason why players get non-tendered in the first place. I see you’re focused on the idea that the article’s job is simply to highlight five specific players who “could be bargains” without addressing why these players are even in this position—because that’s clearly not germane to the article’s point.
But here’s the thing: ignoring the bigger picture doesn’t make the reality disappear. Non-tendered players are overwhelmingly let go because they underperformed, struggled with injuries, or simply lack the kind of elite skills that justify their salaries. The notion that the article should gloss over this very sobering fact is not just lazy, it’s disingenuous. While yes, these five players could potentially be bargains, the overall context is that most non-tendered players won’t get anywhere near the type of contract that could make them impactful.
And as for your point about most non-tendered players signing short-term contracts for less than projected arbitration awards—thanks for the clarification, but you’re not adding any depth to the discussion. The reality of the market for non-tendered players only reinforces my original argument. So while the article may not have been about the broader picture, that picture is still worth acknowledging, especially when the reader might walk away with a false sense of optimism.
It’s easy to cherry-pick a few exceptions, but the truth is, non-tendered players represent a risk, and most teams don’t see them as worth the investment. That’s why they were non-tendered in the first place.
Old York.. First, the point didn’t need to be made, as close to everyone reading about baseball in the off season understands why these players are in this position.
Second, this is just 63 players. That is only about one half of one per cent of all the players who appeared in MLB games last year. So the point is, at best, academic and bordering on moot.
If you want to talk big picture, then you need to expand the discussion beyond – well beyond – non-tenders. Because these players don’t even represent a quarter of the players who were waived, DFA’d, outrighted, or reached minor league free agency after their options ran out. Not to mention the former major leaguers who signed minor league deals last year and never received a call-up. And there will be even more players falling into these categories as the winter wears on and teams need to make room for free agent additions. Thats just the business of baseball. Only 1 out of 16 players in rookie ball will ever reach the major leagues. And the vast majority will be like the players here: a few cups of coffee in the majors before disappearing from the rosters and our memories.
Many of these non-tenders actually represent the best and most fortunate of the bunch as they’ve outlasted running out of options, and actually accumulated enough service time to even reach arbitration. And many of them have made more money in their brief, truncated young careers than the average American makes in several decades. Thats the bigger picture. And none of it needed to be said here, because it has nothing to do with the article’s premise.
To me Rojas was the biggest surprise. Hes coming off a 2 win season and didn’t even play a full season. Hes a 2 win player for his career. Hes not a star but he’s a useful player. And the Mariners don’t have anyone to step up and play it his place.
Tauchman and Hays together would make an interesting veteran platoon for a team whose goal is to get back to a respectable 75-79 win season. You don’t want them getting 600 PA combined for a team expecting to win a playoff series. Pittsburgh should consider snapping them up to play RF.
Good plan that really would benefit a few teams that need OF help.
The Marlins would never spend the $10M needed to pull this off and stick them in LF. And neither player should subject themselves to a minor league ballpark in Sacramento or Tampa. The Nationals have young outfielders and enough money that they are probably going to try and spend for an impactful 1B/DH instead.
Along with the Pirates, the Astros should really consider this approach since they claim budget issues. Let Yordan mostly DH and have the Tauchman/Hays combo play LF and bat 7th.
The Mariners could use Rodgers.
Nothing surprising about Hays getting non-tendered. He is a terrible defensive OF who stopped hitting at an average level. He has little value and was expected to get a relatively high salary in arbitration.
Tuchman is a score for someone.
Would love to see Hays in pinstripes
He’d make a good platoon partner for Dominguez, depending on how the OF plays out.
Five names that I can hardly stand to hear
Including yours and mine and one more chimp who isn’t here
Both Hayes and Laureano would fit nicely within Reds’ roster.