To Tender Or Non-Tender, That Is The Question

Monday night was the deadline for teams to tender contracts to their players. Those players who were non-tendered, they became immediate free agents. There are various reasons teams do not tender players contracts. Many times the player just doesn’t fit into their plans or the player made too much money the previous year and the team may want to try and re-sign them at a cheaper price. Many of the younger players are simply injured or recovering from injuries and the team isn’t interested in paying the player to see if they ever fully recover. Such is the life of being an professional athlete!

Here is the list of the 29 players who became instant free agents as of 12:01 am Tuesday morning. Most of them you either haven’t heard of or they are just mediocre journeymen. A few of them, that are interesting, I discuss below.

Non-Tendered Alphabetical List (Now Free Agents):

Mike Baxter, Mets, OF

Fabio Castillo, Rangers, RP

Pedro Ciriaco, Pirates, Infielder

Brooks Conrad, Braves, Infielder

Dan Cortes, Mariners, RP

Willie Eyre, Orioles, RP

Cole Garner, Rockies, OF

Chris Gimenez, Mariners, C

Clay Hensley, Marlins, Pitcher

Jeremy Hermida, Padres, OF

Koyle Hill, Cubs, C

Rich Hill, Red Sox, RP

Jason Jaramillo, Pirates, C

Jeff Keppinger, Giants, 2B

Hong-Chih Kuo, Dodgers, RP

Aaron Laffey, Royals, RP

Jose Mijares, Twins, RP

Peter Moylan, Braves, RP

Micah Owings, Diamondbacks, SP

Ronny Paulino, Mets, C

Jo-Jo Reyes, Orioles, SP

Will Rhymes, Tigers, 2B

Joe Saunders, Diamondbacks, Lefty SP

Luke Scott, Orioles, 1B

Doug Slaten, Nationals, Lefty RP

Andy Sonnanstine, Rays, RP

Ryan Spilborghs, Rockies, OF

Ryan Theriot, Cardinals, 2B-SS

Eli Whiteside, Giants, C

Joe Saunders was probably the biggest surprise of all the non-tendered players. The 31 year old lefty was the subject of multiple trade rumors this off-season as many teams are searching for inning eaters in the backend of their rotations. Saunders earned $5.5 mil last year, and once the small market Arizona Diamondbacks acquired Trevor Cahill, Saunders’ days in Arizona were numbered. Chances are excellent that the soft tossing Saunders lands a multi-year deal around that same level of money. I can easily see Boston snacking him up to be their number 4 starter, for example. Saunders has started 31 or more games 4 straight years, throwing between 186 and 212 innings during that period. His best season was in 2008 for the Angels when he went 17-7 with 103 K’s, a 1.21 WHIP and a 3.41 ERA. Last year, his road numbers were actually quite solid too. Away from Arizona, Saunders went 9-7, had a .230 batting average against and a 3.14 ERA. Not too shabby!

Luke Scott is a 34 year old left-handed power hitter. Scott is rehabbing his shoulder from recent surgery and also had LASIK done on his eyes this off-season (which probably played into the Orioles non-tendering him). He is probably best as a DH, but he can backup first base and previously was an outfielder (though his range is near zero). His 2011 season was going nowhere fast and the Orioles didn’t give him many at bats to get it together. In fact, in his 7 years in the majors, Scott has only received 400 at bats 3 times. In those 3 years, he averaged 25 HR and over 70 RBI. He is a very streaky pull hitter and I think he would be great in a DH platoon while being a backup at 1B and OF.

Hong-Chih Kuo spent most of 2011 on the DL, but he is a very intriguing free agent. The hard throwing reliever has battled a variety of elbow injuries, a back issue and an anxiety disorder, probably to the point that the Los Angeles Dodgers were frustrated enough to let him go. But the 30 year old Kuo has had several stellar seasons, mostly as a setup man. In 2010, Kuo pitched in 56 games for the Dodgers; 60 IP, 73 K, 21 holds, 12 out of 13 saves opportunities, an incredible 0.78 WHIP and a 1.20 ERA.  If the lefty can show he is healthy, he should have job without any hassle, since finding a power left-handed setup man is next to impossible.

There may be a few others that are interesting too, if you need a backup catcher, backup infield utility player or cheap middle relief. Unfortunately, most of these players were non-tendered for a reason, and some of them may only find offers for the minor leagues. Perhaps a few of them should move on with life and retire… again, the life of being a pro athlete!