Wednesday’s tender deadline brought a slew of non-tenders, some of them surprises, some of them rational, and some nothing more than teams being cheap for their own sake. Here are the six guys from the non-tender pool who caught my eye and would make an updated ranking of the best free agents on the market.
Advertisement
David Dahl, 27, OF
Dahl’s non-tender was the biggest surprise to me of Wednesday’s spate of releases, as he was an All-Star in 2019 and was due to make under $3 million in arbitration. His 2020 was a disaster, but it’s a tiny sample and he was injured for part of the season … although injuries are a huge part of his professional history. He missed nearly all of 2013 and 2017 due to injuries, and about half of 2015 and 2018. Those are good reasons not to sign him to a long-term deal, but for one year, he’s got the power and ability to play an average center field that should make any team without a regular center fielder interested in him. He’d be the highest-ranking non-tender on my free agent list.
Eddie Rosario, 29, OF
Rosario’s non-tender was widely expected, as he was a third-time eligible player who could compare his production to that of free agents as well as other 5+ players, and he’s probably not worth that to a team like the Twins with a ready replacement available in Alex Kirilloff. Once a speedy center fielder whom the Twins tried to move to second base, Rosario turned into a low-OBP power hitter who can only play an outfield corner, and not that well. He could have taken home over $10 million this year, but this profile is too common, and players like him are always going to find supply exceeds demand. He’s more of a fringe regular, probably a $5-7 million guy in a normal market.
Brian Goodwin, 30, OF
Goodwin’s an above-average defender in left, passable but below average in center, with some power and no appreciable platoon split. He’s not a regular, but he’d be the best fourth outfield option on a number of contenders’ rosters, and wasn’t going to get much more than $3 million or so in arbitration, which his play in 2019 — his only year with something like regular playing time in the majors — more than justified.
Kyle Schwarber, 28, “OF”
Seems like it wasn’t that long ago that Cubs fans were yelling at me for preferring Michael Conforto, taken four picks after Schwarber in the 2014 draft, to the Indiana catcher. Schwarber has no position, but over 2018-2019 he hit .249/.352/.530 against right-handed pitching. He should be someone’s platoon DH for $5 million.
Advertisement
Archie Bradley, 28, RHP
Bradley’s fastball velocity slipped about 1 mph last year, but the changeup he’s been using the last two years — after two years without a changeup or splitter at all — has been very effective, to go with the plus curveball he’s always had. He’s probably not the 15 K/9 closer teams want but he could be a valuable 100-inning reliever if that changeup holds up over a larger sample and could help him if he has to turn a lineup over. He might have gotten up to $6 million in arbitration, especially with 28 career saves, but that’s reasonable for the type of multi-inning reliever he could be.
Carlos Rodón, 28, LHP
Rodón was worked very hard at NC State, and between that and a tough delivery that puts some stress on his shoulder, he’s had a hard time staying healthy in pro ball. His fastball crept back up in 2020 after a huge drop on his return from rehab in 2019, but he’s still below his pre-surgery peak. He’s a decent candidate for a team willing to make him just a twice-through-the-order starter, letting him go heavy on his out-pitch slider.
(Photo of David Dahl: Mike Stobe / Getty Images)
