On Friday, 31 MLB gamers have been non-tendered by their golf equipment and hit the open market. And whereas these aren’t name-brand free brokers that can energy the hearsay mill over the approaching weeks, there may be usually worth to be discovered amongst every year’s non-tender class.
It isn’t arduous to search out examples of gamers who have been non-tendered in recent times and went on to be important contributors with their new golf equipment — Kevin Gausman, Carlos Rodon, Kyle Schwarber, Cody Bellinger, Blake Treinen, Jeff Hoffman, Jason Adam, Luke Weaver.
There are many smaller scale success tales, as effectively. After he was non-tendered by the Miami Marlins, final low season, Jacob Stallings signed with the Colorado Rockies for $1.5 million and proceeded to offer them 1.7 bWAR in return. In the meantime, Spencer Turnbull — non-tendered by the Detroit Tigers — signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for $2 million and pitched to a 2.65 ERA over his first 54.1 innings earlier than a lat harm ended his season in late June.
After all, gamers are non-tendered for a motive. They’re typically coming off campaigns marred by unproductivity, harm, or each. They usually don’t undertaking to provide sufficient worth within the upcoming season to justify the wage they’ll command by means of arbitration. If all the things was going nice, they wouldn’t have been non-tendered.
However many current intriguing buy-low alternatives in anticipation of a bounce again and will be ending touches across the margins as groups wrap up winter buying. And whereas the Toronto Blue Jays intend to compete on the prime finish of this yr’s free agent market, they’ll want to contemplate a few of these extra reasonably priced choices, too, as they construct out roster depth.
Toronto’s most evident want on the pitching aspect is within the bullpen. And the cleanest method so as to add place gamers to the Blue Jays roster is in left area or at third base. With that in thoughts, listed below are six gamers — three relievers and three place gamers — non-tendered final week that might match the Blue Jays.
Fortune was not on Milner’s aspect final season, as he pitched to a 4.73 ERA that belied his 3.15 xERA and three.14 FIP. Whereas his 2024 strikeout, stroll, and groundball charges remained secure with those he posted over the 2 years prior when he labored to a 2.79 ERA, Milner’s BABIP and HR/FB fee elevated considerably and his LOB% plummeted, all indicators that the 33-year-old stands to regress to profession norms in 2025.
And he hasn’t misplaced something off his stuff, not that there was a lot to lose. Milner works with a comparatively even cut up of high-70s sliders and high-80s sinkers — plus a high-80s four-seamer and low-80s changeup for righties — to induce gobs of weak contact on the bottom. When hitters put his sinker in play final season, it was a groundball 60.5 per cent of the time.
Even amidst his tough 2024 outcomes, Milner ran a 99th percentile barrel fee, 92nd percentile stroll fee, and 91st percentile groundball fee. His pitches aren’t overpowering anybody, however he locates them exactly they usually’re extremely tough to sq. up.
With the flexibility to pitch a number of innings, Milner may assist the Blue Jays bullpen in a couple of methods. It’s the Tim Mayza position — generally focusing on robust lefties late in tight video games, generally cleansing up a starter’s mess within the fifth or sixth earlier than coming again out for an additional inning. On a one-year, $1.5 million deal, it wouldn’t take a lot for Milner to return worth.
It’s not on daily basis a better coming off a 38-save, All-Star season will get non-tendered, however that’s the case for Finnegan, who was let go by the Washington Nationals final week.
The best-hander actually has late-game stuff with a 97 m.p.h. fastball that repeatedly touches 99, a diving splitter, and a slider he throws to righties. However for one motive or one other hitters are inclined to see his stuff effectively, which is why Finnegan solely had a 22 per cent strikeout fee during the last two seasons whereas permitting the second-highest hard-hit fee of any certified reliever. Possible why the Nationals handed on the $8.6 million he was projected to earn through arbitration because of accumulating all these saves.
Nonetheless, Finnegan has extra closing expertise than any pitcher on the Blue Jays roster and would instantly step right into a late-game leverage position if the membership signed him. The Blue Jays like pitchers with above-average extension who throw splitters and generate numerous groundballs. Perhaps they see an adjustment or two the 33-year-old may make to raised execute his fastball and miss extra bats.
Webb’s been a wonderfully serviceable reliever during the last two seasons, pitching to a 3.34 ERA with 115 strikeouts over 110.1 innings. However there are a few purple flags behind his outcomes. His 12.2 per cent stroll fee over that span is effectively above league common and he missed six weeks this summer time with proper elbow irritation. Steamer initiatives him to regress slightly dramatically in 2025 to a 4.29 ERA.
Nonetheless, the Blue Jays have a set of approaches they make the most of to assist pitchers hit the zone extra constantly. And if Pete Walker and co. will help Webb minimize down his walks, they might come away with a medium-leverage reliever at a particularly low price.
And Webb has some attention-grabbing instruments to work with. His greatest pitch in 2024 was an 84-mph changeup, which acquired practically 18 inches of arm-side tail. Batters hit simply .125 and slugged .219 towards it final season, whiffing over a 3rd of the time they swung. It’s a pitch he most likely must be throwing extra typically than solely 1 / 4 of the time.
It helps his 93.5 m.p.h. fastball play up, too, which is why Webb has been ready to make use of his heater to complete greater than half his strikeouts during the last two seasons. The changeup additionally helps stage out his platoon splits, making him deployable in quite a lot of conditions. If his arm’s wholesome, Webb may soak up a few of the unglamorous work fellow changeup artist Trevor Richards contributed during the last three seasons. And the Blue Jays would probably solely have to pay him round $1 million to do it.
Hays suffered by means of a depressing 2024, hitting the IL with a calf concern early within the season, a hamstring pressure after he was traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Phillies on the deadline, and a gnarly kidney an infection that held him out for many of September. His numbers mirrored it as Hays hit .255/.303/.396 with a 98 wRC+, his worst outcomes since his first full season in 2021.
However when Hays was wholesome the three years prior, he hit .261/.313/.439 with a 108 wRC+ whereas making up for his extraordinary outfield vary with a plus arm in left area. Nonetheless, on the precise aspect of his thirtieth birthday, there’s motive to imagine a wholesome Hays may bounce again to at the least an above-league-average hitter with upside.
With the Blue Jays, Hays might be a daily towards left-handed pitching and a pinch-hit choice off the bench when the opposition positive aspects platoon benefit on somebody like Daulton Varsho, Spencer Horwitz, or Will Wagner. The 29-year-old’s profession 99 wRC+ towards right-handed pitching actually isn’t unplayable. However it stands in stark distinction to his 120 wRC+ towards lefties.
The well-traveled Tauchman has already loved a pair of sudden MLB breakouts, first with the Yankees in 2019 when he OPS’ed .865, then with the Cubs during the last two seasons when he posted 2.8 fWAR after getting back from a quick stint in Korea.
Getting into his age-34 season, it could be asking a bit a lot for Tauchman to faucet again into the ability that produced a .227 ISO with the Yankees in ’19. Nonetheless, he ought to have the ability to carry ahead the elite self-discipline he demonstrated during the last two seasons, strolling in 13.7 per cent of his plate appearances and working a 92nd percentile chase fee whereas posting a .360 OBP. He solely hit seven homers in 2024 but nonetheless produced a 111 wRC+. Steamer initiatives Tauchman for a 106 wRC+ in 2025 with 0.8 fWAR throughout solely 65 video games.
The eight-year veteran declined defensively over time and matches greatest in an outfield nook however the Cubs have been nonetheless assured sufficient in his vary to begin him a half-dozen instances in centre final season. With Daulton Varsho probably starting the yr on the IL, the Blue Jays may have roster room for a left-handed hitting outfielder who can cowl centre in a pinch and attain base 36 per cent of the time from the underside half of the lineup.
The Blue Jays worth versatility and Rojas matches the invoice having began at the least 30 video games at second base, shortstop, third base, and each outfield corners all through his six-year profession. His shortstop days are probably behind him, however Rojas posted six OAA at third base final season and 6 at second base in 2023, which can play.
Whether or not the bat will is one other query. Rojas put up serviceable numbers over his first two full MLB seasons, hitting .266/.345/.401 with a 106 wRC+ between 2021 and 2022. However his subsequent two seasons have been a unique story, as Rojas cut up .234/.304/.337 with an 85 wRC+.
His outcomes over these two most up-to-date seasons are most essential to contemplate, in fact. However there’s at the least a observe report of productiveness right here and Steamer initiatives Rojas to regress to a 91 wRC+ subsequent season whereas contributing 1.9 fWAR thanks on defence.
The 30-year-old has posted low chase charges all through — 89th percentile in 2024 — whereas going 45-for-52 on stolen base makes an attempt since 2022. Sturdy defence, base-stealing potential, and a pesky plate strategy are good traits to have in a utility bench participant. Seattle was utilizing Rojas in a platoon final season and the left-handed hitter may play an identical position with the Blue Jays reverse Davis Schneider whereas hopping from place to place defensively.
