The Craziest Non-Tender Deadline of All Time

This week was the MLB’s non-tender deadline. What this means is that teams needed to make decisions on any player that is without a contract but not yet eligible for free agency. If they choose not to tender them a contract offer, that player becomes eligible for free agency. The trend so far this offseason has been cost cutting. As a result, many players that were eligible for salary arbitration were non-tendered and are part of what is now an incredibly deep free agent class. For those teams with the foresight to do so, this offseason now presents an opportunity to compliment their core and fill out their baseball team at lower costs than usual. It is my opinion that not taking advantage of this would be incredibly short sighted and if John Middleton gets some guys now, he can have a better team at a lower cost than if he chooses to wait until next season to reopen his checkbook. Here I will highlight a few arms and bats that I believe could benefit the Phillies from the non-tender market.

Pitchers

1. The first player, and the one I believe the Phillies NEED to sign is Archie Bradley. They were rumored to have interest in acquiring him this past trade deadline, only to see him dealt to the Reds. In a surprise move, he is now available again. He is likely to be pretty cheap and has experience at the back end of a bullpen. He is entering only his age 28 season and posted an ERA of 2.95 across 18.1 innings last year with 18 strikeouts to only 3 walks. While he won’t present the sole answer for our bullpen woes, he would be a great start and maintain financial flexibility to add alongside him.

1. Another pitcher for the Phillies to target could be Carlos Rodon. He’s a former first round pick of the White Sox as a left handed pitcher who has failed to live up to his potential so far. However, he is only 28 and the Phillies could always use left handed pitchers. Stuff has never been an issue with Rodon. He just has not been able to put it together or stay healthy. A fresh start without the pressure of a first round pick having been invested in him could be what Rodon needs. He should cost very little since he has yet to find success in the majors. Given his potential upside it could be wise to take a shot on him and let new pitching coach Caleb Cotham get a crack at unlocking him.

1. I was conflicted as to whether the last pitcher I wanted to include would be Jose Urena on Ryne Stanek. While I’ve long been a fan of Urena and would be thrilled if the Phillies signed him, I’d like to take this time to discuss Stanek. He’s a flamethrower known best for his time as Tampa’s opener. He was often stretched out over 2 or 3 innings and could provide versatility in Girardi’s bullpen. He struggled mightily since being acquired by the Marlins which led to his being non-tendered. The Phillies could always use more velocity and I’m a big fan of the fastball/slider combo out of the pen, which he has. Getting Stanek to bounce back could provide the Phillies with a solid multi-inning reliever.

Hitters

1. There were also solid bats made available this week. In particular a lot of lefty power was added to the market. This could play in our favor to replace that part of Didi Gregourious’ game or maybe even lower his market value to bring him back. The three main guys for the would be Kyle Scwarber, Eddie Rosario and Nomar Mazara. I’ve decided to lump them together as they all present big time power as left handed bats but with poor defense. Their bats are enough to excite me if we were to sign them, however I fear that none of them would make much sense without the guarantee of the designated hitter in the National League. They are also likely to be on the more expensive end of the non-tender market which is why I sadly doubt that any become Phillies.

2. One of my favorite hitters the last few years has been David Dahl. Despite being only 27, his injury troubles found him non-tendered by the Rockies. Like the other hitters we discussed, he is a left handed bat in the outfield. While he doesn’t present as much pop as the others, he has superior bat to ball skills and is a better defender. He could deepen the Phillies lineup and be one of the steals of free agency. I’d be ecstatic to land David Dahl.

3. With Dahl, we moved closer toward improving outfield defense. If the Phillies wish to take a huge step to improving their defense in the outfield, one of the many problems last year, they could sign Albert Almora. Almora is a plus defender in center field. He’s a right handed bat so he could complement Adam Haseley. It certainly would be nice to see less routine fly balls misplayed next year.

Ultimately, I think if the Phillies pursue any of the recently non-tendered free agents, it’s more likely to be on the pitching side. Archie Bradley is by far the most likely name to wind up on our roster next year. He makes so much sense to the point that I’d consider it a mistake not to sign him. There were already a handful of available relievers that should intrigue the Phillies and now that list has lengthened and Bradley should find himself near the top.