Monday was the deadline for teams to not tender contacts to players who are not yet eligible for free agency but have seen their contract expire.
A large list of names was non-tendered and this now allows those players to enter free agency. Here are 15 notable players who were not tendered contracts by their former ball clubs. The entire list of players non-tendered can be found at MLB Trade Rumors.
Tim Beckham (Mariners)
The first overall pick in 2008, Beckham has never quite lived up to that billing. In 88 games last season, he finished with a .237 batting average and 15 home runs.
The Mariners non-tendered Tim Beckham today. He was the small sample size superstar this year. Ended up being worth 0.4 WAR. pic.twitter.com/f644BaFJbB
— Devan Fink (@DevanFink) December 2, 2019
C.J. Cron (Twins)
Cron has been a better-than-adequate offensive first baseman over the past couple seasons. He hit 25 homers last season and had another 30 in 2018 while with the Rays.
Source: #MNTwins will not tender a contract to C.J. Cron, making him a free agent.
— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesMLB) December 2, 2019
Maikel Franco (Phillies)
While Franco has slugged out 102 homers over the last five seasons, he has largely been seen as a disappointment recently by fans of the Phillies. He was sent to the minors for a brief stint last season, and he hit just .234 with a sub-.300 on-base percentage at the major league level.
Second baseman Cesar Hernandez and third baseman Maikel Franco became free agents when the Phillies did not offer them contracts on Monday. https://t.co/jqO0nKqcW8
— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) December 3, 2019
Cesar Hernandez (Phillies)
Hernandez has mostly been the Phillies everyday second baseman since the 2015 season. He only missed one game last season (as well as 2018), and he hit .279 with 14 homers and 71 RBIs.
With the Phillies moving on from both players, it's worth revisiting this @M_Montemurro story from September: Maikel Franco, César Hernández and the last bridge to a Phillies golden era. https://t.co/6nXyIJVBYV
— The Athletic Philadelphia (@TheAthleticPHI) December 3, 2019
Jimmy Nelson (Brewers)
A promising career for Nelson has been derailed by injuries as he missed all of 2018 and made just 10 appearances (three starts) in 2019. His best season came in 2017 when he went 12-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 29 starts.
Brewers part with Travis Shaw, Jimmy Nelson, three others. https://t.co/jiP93ktxZR
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) December 3, 2019
Jose Peraza (Reds)
Peraza had been utilized as an everyday middle infielder for the Reds the past three seasons, but 2019 was not a good one. He hit just .239 and stole only seven bases after 67 from 2016-18.
The #Reds moved on from José Peraza, who was at one time thought to be the SS of the future. Where does the team turn now? 3 options at SS for the Reds with Peraza now gone (via @DrewKoch714) https://t.co/aoOBgp1DpU
— Blog Red Machine (@blogredmachine) December 3, 2019
Kevin Pillar (Giants)
Pillar isn’t quite the standout he was previously in center field, but he still produced at the plate. Last season, he hit 21 home runs, 37 doubles, drove in 88 runs, and stole 14 bases.
The #SFGiants have decided to park ways with one of their most popular players, Kevin Pillar. Here's why: https://t.co/pHHfXuTG3u
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) December 3, 2019
Addison Russell (Cubs)
In 2016, Russell was an All-Star during a year he hit 21 home runs and drove in 95 runs. A 40-game suspension from a domestic violence incident left him playing in just 82 games last season, and according to Baseball-Reference, he finished with just 0.1 WAR after averaging three for his first four years.
The Cubs elected Monday night to not tender a contract to arbitration-eligible infielder Addison Russell, who now becomes a free agent.https://t.co/fdTgHrb8Q6
— Chicago Tribune Sports (@ChicagoSports) December 3, 2019
Aaron Sanchez (Astros)
After winning the AL ERA title in 2016 with the Blue Jays, Sanchez has yet to again find that sustained success over a year. In the ensuing three seasons, he is 10-23 with a 5.29 ERA in 55 starts.
Your daily reminder that baseball waits for no one: Aaron Sanchez & Kevin Pillar non-tendered today
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) December 3, 2019
Yolmer Sanchez (White Sox)
Possessing an excellent glove, Sanchez took home his first Gold Glove in 2019 while manning second base. At the plate, he is a light-hitter who doesn’t get on base nearly enough to present much offensive value.
Would this lineup of non-tendered players win more games than the Orioles?
— Yahoo Sports MLB (@MLByahoosports) December 3, 2019
C: Elias Diaz
1B: C.J. Cron
2B: Yolmer Sanchez
SS: Tim Beckham
3B: Maikel Franco
OF: Kevin Pillar
OF: Domingo Santana
OF: Steven Souza
SP: Taijuan Walker
RP: Blake Treinen
Domingo Santana (Mariners)
While he hasn’t proven to be a very good defensive outfielder, Santana has shown a load of pop in his bat. He connected on 21 homers last season and had 30 in 2017.
Former Seattle Mariners outfielder Domingo Santana and infielder Tim Beckham are now free agents. https://t.co/OnVTv5Zc1r
— Tacoma News Tribune (@thenewstribune) December 3, 2019
Travis Shaw (Brewers)
It was a disastrous 2019 for Shaw after he hit more then 30 home runs both in 2017 and 2018. He didn’t even come close to the Mendoza line last season as he finished with a .157 batting average in 230 at-bats.
Travis Shaw’s agent, Joe Bick, texted me this statement regarding Shaw, now a free agent: “If Travis can be in a spot where a team just trusts and believes in him, they’ll get tremendous results.” @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 3, 2019
Steven Souza Jr. (Diamondbacks)
The 2019 season was a lost one for Souza Jr. as he missed the entire year with a knee injury. In 2017 with the Rays, he ended the year with 30 home runs and 16 steals.
In an exercise in bottom-line maintenance, the Diamondbacks did not tender contracts to Steven Souza Jr., Taijuan Walker and Caleb Jospeh https://t.co/FT9vcflReF pic.twitter.com/IVRWAgvQQ5
— Forbes SportsMoney (@ForbesSports) December 3, 2019
Blake Treinen (Athletics)
It was a banner 2018 for Treinen as he had a microscopic 0.78 ERA, 38 saves, and finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting. His ERA jumped more than four runs to 4.91 last season and lost his closer role to Liam Hendriks.
BREAKING: The A's reportedly have non-tendered reliever Blake Treinen https://t.co/mUIVr6hl0P pic.twitter.com/3XXcWmjMTO
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) December 3, 2019
Taijuan Walker (Diamondbacks)
There was a time when Walker looked like he could be a frontline starter, but injuries have limited him to just three starts over the past two years. In his last full season (2017), he finished with a 3.49 ERA in 28 starts.
One time Taijuan Walker decided to make and distribute tacos outside a spring training game. If that's not a guy worth taking a flyer on, I don't know who is. Worst-case scenario you get some tacos. https://t.co/tu8MPDSacP
— Ted Berg (@OGTedBerg) December 3, 2019