MLBThe no-tender deadline arrived Friday night, forcing teams to make the decision to bring players back for another year or cut bait. Some exciting names didn’t make the cut and will now turn to free agency to find a new home for the 2025 season. We’ve had quite a few surprises this year, and we’ll go straight to determining the most intriguing names and the teams for which they might be suitable.

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After hitting 21 home runs between the Miami Marlins And Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh decided not to tender for its biggest acquisition at last year’s trade deadline. 2024 marked a career high for De La Cruz after the 19 he hit the year before, but defensively he left a lot to be desired, recording -6 putouts above average and -7 defensive runs saved in 2024.

Still, De La Cruz has yet to begin his arbitration years and offers cheap control and desirable pop in his bat. Teams in need of outfield will look long and hard, and ultimately, he should have no problem finding a new home this winter. His .289 BABIP suggests some bad luck when fielding the ball, and it’s predictable that he’ll have a better year on a better team. Teams will come calling, given that he has several years of control remaining as well as minor league options.

Arbitration Projection: $4,000,000
Years remaining: 3
Possible adjustments: Yankees, Orioles, Royals, Giants

Over the past two seasons, Madrigal has struggled to find consistent playing time with the team. Chicago Cubs due to both underperformance and injuries. Primarily a second baseman, Madrigal surprised and did decently at third base before the team acquired Isaac Parades at the trade deadline. Madrigal has only played in 202 games over the past three seasons after being acquired in the Craig Kimbrel trade. Chicago Sox back in 2021.

With several infield prospects knocking on the Majors’ door, the Cubs needed to free up space on their 40-man roster. Madrigal, when healthy, offers a good contact bat, hitting .280 over his first four big league seasons before struggling with a .221 mark in 2024. On paper, it’s a slightly below average bat that offers plenty of defense. versatility on the field, which should interest teams this winter.

Arbitration Projection: $1,900,000
Years remaining: 2
Possible adjustments: Mariners, Yankees

Another acquisition with commercial deadline of 2024 goes bankruptHays was not tendered by the Philadelphia Phillies and will now hit free agency in search of a team in need of an outfielder. Hays only appeared in 85 games this season, slashing .255/.303/.396. Still, teams will show interest here, considering he’s just one season removed from his first All-Star campaign when he hit .275/.325/.444 with 16 home runs and 67 runs scored products.

After an injury-plagued 2024, Hays was unable to make much of an impact with the Phillies once they traded for him. He finished the season with the big league club, but failed to be the impact bat Philly envisioned he could be. Still, there will be a team that takes a chance in 2025. This is a great stick to have in your lineup when healthy.

Arbitration Projection: $6,400,000
Years remaining: 1
Possible adjustments: Yankees, Orioles, Royals, Giants

Finnegan was not tendered by the Washington Nationalsand it won’t be long before he finds a new big league club. After becoming an All-Star for the first time in 2024, Finnegan’s release came as a surprise, as he has been quite solid with a 3.56 ERA over his career and a 3.68 ERA in 2024. His FIP was a bit higher at 4.25 this year. season, but he still converted 38 saves.

With 28 saves the year before, teams will have no problem wanting to tap Finnegan and offer him a secondary role in their bullpen. He’s still not the best candidate available in free agency, considering you’d like to see his ERA a bit lower to take on such a large role, but there aren’t a ton of high-leverage options available this winter.

Arbitration Projection: $8,600,000
Years remaining: 1
Potential Fits: Cubs, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Red Sox

Another surprising addition to this list is Romano, former All-Star closer Toronto Blue Jays. Given that the Jays had one of the worst bullpens in baseball in 2024, not offering their best reliever is a bit of a headache on the surface. But Romano struggled mightily in 2024, missing much of the year due to injury and looking like a shell of himself upon his return. With a big arbitration figure coming up, Toronto must not be feeling good about its health moving forward.

Still, it was a down year, and he was one of the best relievers in baseball not too long ago. Romano posted a 2.29 ERA from 2020 to 2023, reaching the 35 save mark twice, and a team in need of pitchers is sure to give him a chance in free agency.

Arbitration Projection: $7,775,000
Years remaining: 1
Potential Fits: Cubs, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Red Sox

Mike Tauchman’s summer is officially over at Wrigley Field. Like Madrigal, Tauchman is an unfortunate victim of the Cubs prospect boom: Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara finished 2024 with good numbers in Triple-A, and Alcantara reached the Majors for the final week of the regular season. Pete Crow-Armstrong is already roaming center field for the foreseeable future, and with Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger also in the mix, Tauchman’s days were numbered.

Still, Tauchman had a good two-year tenure with the Cubs, slashing .250/.360/.372 in 217 appearances. Tauchman’s ability to deep counts and draw walks makes him a valuable asset. He was second on the team in on-base percentage in 2024, but it’s no surprise that he won’t be a Cub this coming season. Jed Hoyer is unhappy that Bellinger chose to participatemaking the outfield even more crowded, and the Cubs need as many spots as possible for 2025.

Arbitration Projection: $2,900,000
Years remaining: 2
Potential fits: Yankees, Royals, Giants

After a solid year with the Colorado Rockiesslashing a respectable .267/.314/.407, Rodgers was non-tendered and will now hit the open market. This isn’t a huge surprise, as his $5,500,000 arbitration projection is a bit high for a team like Colorado, but that won’t be the case for a team looking to save a few bucks instead of ‘buy someone like, say, Gleyber Torres. Rodgers has never hit more than 15 home runs in a given year, but has won a Gold Glove in the past.

Colorado decided his average approach wasn’t enough to offer him a contract for 2025. So he’ll look for a new home and likely find one on a team with several holes to fill and a need for a good option. market to balance the wage bill. . Like Madrigal, Seattle and the New York Yankees appear to be a good fit based on their needs at the position.

Arbitration Projection: $5,500,000
Years remaining: 1
Potential fits: Yankees, Mariners

Another name that will now attract attention in the world of free agency is the former Tampa Bay Rays the Pocket reliever. Over his last 95 innings, Poche posted a 2.85 ERA, but he came back to Earth a bit in 2024 with a 3.86 mark. His FIP was much higher this year, at 4.88, suggesting he got lucky in some cases. Still, Poche’s career mark of 3.66 will be enough to keep teams interested.

His $3,400,000 arbitration projection is too high for Tampa, and now a team in need will likely step up. Not quite as egregious as Romano, Poche is still an excellent rebound candidate who will look to have a good season before testing the market. . Poche is in the final year of his rookie contract and will return to free agency in 2026.

Arbitration Projection: $3,400,000
Years remaining: 1
Potential Fits: Blue Jays, Cubs, Rangers, Red Sox

With two years remaining in free agency, Carlson was passed over by the Rays after his offensive struggles continued, slashing just .209/.287/.277 in 96 games. Carlson has accumulated over four years of MLB service and has all three remaining Minor League options, but the numbers weren’t pretty in 2024. As a switch-hitter, Carlson generally has strong splits against lefties, with a career batting mark of .285. average and 122 wRC+, but this year he only managed a .212 BA and 76 wRC+.

At just 26 years old, Carlson still has a lot to offer, but at this point, teams might not show much interest until his position is one of the last to be filled. At the very least, I repeat, he has three options on his contract, so he doesn’t need to fill a 26-man roster spot. For this reason, he will likely find a home in 2025, as teams look to return to the form he showed early in his career with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Arbitration Projection: $2,700,000
Years remaining: 2
Potential Adjustments: Giants, Pirates, Angels

I was surprised by the Milwaukee Brewers‘ decision to leave Milner off their roster moving forward. His 2024 hasn’t been great, with a 4.17 ERA, but his 3.14 FIP has me diving under the hood. Milner had a breakout season in 2023, posting a 1.82 ERA over 64.1 frames. This season, Milner’s FIP was well below his ERA due to being in the 91st percentile for ground ball rate (53.7%), 92nd percentile for walk rate (5.2%) and at the 99th percentile for the barrel rate (2.7%).

The only problem has been the whiff rate, which sits at the bottom of the league at 19.3 percent. However, Milner’s 2024 expected ERA of 3.24 was in the 82nd percentile, and all things considered, he shouldn’t have struggled as much on the mound as his ERA indicates. He’s a terrific rebound candidate, especially considering what he’ll cost, and he’ll have one more full season before hitting free agency again in 2026.

Arbitration Projection: $2,700,000
Years remaining: 1
Potential fits: Cubs, Blue Jays, Red Sox