The 10 most intriguing non-tenders set to enter MLB free agency

MLB's non-tender deadline arrived on Friday night, forcing teams to make a decision on whether to bring players back for another year or cut bait. Some exciting names didn't make the cut, and will now look to free agency to find a new home for the 2025 season. We got quite a few surprises this year, and we'll jump right in to determine the most intriguing names and which teams they may be a fit for.

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1. Bryan De La Cruz, OF

After bopping 21 home runs between the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh decided to non-tender its biggest acquisition at last year's trade deadline. 2024 marked a career-high in home runs for De La Cruz after the 19 he hit the year before, but defensively he leaves much to be desired, Recording -6 Outs Above Average and -7 Defensive Runs Saved in 2024.

Still, De La Cruz has yet to start his arbitration years and offers cheap control and desirable pop in his bat. Outfield-needy teams 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 putting the ball in play, and it's foreseeable that he has a better year on a better team. Teams will come calling, considering he has multiple years of control plus Minor League options remaining.

Arbitration projection: $4,000,000
Years remaining: 3
Possible fits: Yankees, Orioles, Royals, Giants

2. Nick Madrigal, 2B

Over the past couple of seasons, Madrigal has struggled to find consistent playing time with the 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 appeared in only 202 games over the past three seasons after being acquired in the Craig Kimbrel trade with the Chicago White Sox back in 2021.

With multiple infield prospects banging down the door to the Majors, the Cubs needed to clear space on their 40-man roster. Madrigal, when healthy, offers a good contact bat, hitting for a .280 average over his first four big-league seasons before struggling with a .221 mark in 2024. On paper, he's a slightly below-average bat who offers plenty of defensive versatility on the infield, which should have teams showing interest this winter.

Arbitration projection: $1,900,000
Years remaining: 2
Possible fits: Mariners, Yankees

3. Austin Hays, OF

Another 2024 trade deadline acquisition gone bust, Hays was non-tendered by the Philadelphia Phillies and will now hit free agency in search of a team that needs an outfielder. Hays only appeared in 85 games this season, slashing .255/.303/.396. Still, teams will show interest here, given that he is only one season removed from his first All-Star campaign when he hit .275/.325/.444 with 16 homers and 67 RBIs.

After an injury-plagued 2024, Hays couldn't make much 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 will take a shot on him in 2025. He's a perfectly fine bat to have in your lineup when healthy.

Arbitration projection: $6,400,000
Years remaining: 1
Possible fits: Yankees, Orioles, Royals, Giants

4. Kyle Finnegan, RP

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

With 28 saves the year prior, teams will have no problem wanting to bring Finnegan aboard and offer him a back-end role in their bullpen. He still isn't the best candidate available in free agency, given that you'd like to see his ERA a bit lower to take on such an important 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

5. Jordan Romano, RP

Another surprising addition to this list is Romano, former All-Star closer for the Toronto Blue Jays. Given that the Jays had one of the worst bullpens in baseball in 2024, non-tendering their best reliever is a bit of a head-scratcher 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 hefty arbitration figure coming, Toronto must not feel great about his health moving forward.

Still, it was one down year, and this was one of the best relievers in baseball not too long ago. Romano recorded a 2.29 ERA from 2020-23, reaching the 35-save plateau twice, and some pitching-needy team is bound to give him a shot in free agency.

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

6. Mike Tauchman, OF

The Summer of Mike Tauchman has officially come to an end at Wrigley Field. Like Madrigal, Tauchman is an unfortunate casualty 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 last 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 get deep into counts and draw walks makes him a valuable commodity. He was second on the team in on-base percentage in 2024, but it's no surprise he won't be a Cub this coming season. Jed Hoyer is unhappy that Bellinger opted in, making the outfield even more crowded, and the Cubs need as many roster spots as possible for 2025.

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

7. Brendan Rodgers, 2B

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

Colorado decided his hit-for-average approach was not enough to tender him a contract for 2025, so he will look for a new home and likely find one on a team with multiple holes to fill and a need for a cheap option to balance payroll. Like Madrigal, Seattle and the New York Yankees are seemingly good fits based on their needs at the position.

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

8. Colin Poche, RP

Another name that will now draw attention in free agency is former Tampa Bay Rays reliever Poche. In his past 95 innings, Poche has recorded a 2.85 ERA, but he did come 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 certain instances. Still, Poche's 3.66 career mark will be enough to have teams interested.

His $3,400,000 arbitration projection is too steep for Tampa, and now a bullpen-needy team will likely swoop in. Not entirely as egregious as Romano, Poche is still an excellent bounce-back 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 reach free agency again in 2026.

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

9. Dylan Carlson, OF

With two years remaining before free agency, Carlson was non-tendered by the Rays after his offensive struggles continued, slashing just .209/.287/.277 in 96 games. Carlson has racked up over four years of MLB service time and has all three remaining Minor League options, but the numbers weren't pretty in 2024. As a switch-hitter, Carlson usually has strong splits against southpaws, with a .285 career batting average and 122 wRC+, but this year managed just a .212 BA and 76 wRC+.

At only 26 years old, Carlson still has plenty to offer, but at this point, teams may not show much interest until his position is one of the last they need to fill. At the very least, to reiterate, he has three options on his contract, so he doesn't have to take up a 26-man roster spot. Because of this, he will likely find a home in 2025, as teams look to unlock the form he showed early in his career with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Arbitration projection: $2,700,000
Years remaining: 2
Potential fits: Giants, Pirates, Angels

10. Hoby Milner, RP

I was surprised by the Milwaukee Brewers' decision to leave Milner off their roster moving forward. His 2024 wasn't great, with a 4.17 ERA, but his 3.14 FIP makes me dive 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 much lower than his ERA due to being in the 91st percentile in ground-ball rate (53.7% percent), 92nd percentile in walk rate (5.2 percent) and 99th percentile in barrel rate (2.7 percent).

One knock was the whiff rate, which came towards the bottom of the league at 19.3 percent. However, Milner's expected 2024 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 tremendous bounce-back candidate, especially given what he'll cost, and he'll have one more full season before reaching free agency again in 2026.

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