Five most intriguing players to enter MLB free agency at non-tender deadline, including former top-five pick

Major League Baseball's non-tender period ended Friday evening at 8:00 p.m. ET. Every year this process contributes to this Free agent pool and it could be an opportunity for teams to bargain hunt as players become candidates for a change of scenery.

For those who don't know, the deadline means teams must decide whether to offer contracts for the 2025 season to players who are eligible for arbitration, or players before arbitration, or any player who either doesn't have enough service time has to reach free agency, or not a guaranteed contract that eats up arbitration years. The players are on either “tendered” or non-tendered contracts, meaning they will immediately become free agents without being cleared on waivers.

We're keeping an eye on all the non-tendered players below, starting with the most interesting players entering the free agency pool.

Notable undrafted MLB players

1. Chicago Cubs: INF Nick Madrigal

The No. 4 pick in the 2018 draft is now a free agent. Madrigal hasn't accomplished much in the big leagues (career 86 OPS+) because he lacks power. He is a prime example of how life is about more than just putting the bat on the ball. Madrigal is a good defender at second and third base, even great at times. The Cubs released him rather than pay the expected roughly $2 million through arbitration.

2. Los Angeles Angels: LHP Patrick Sandoval

The Angels have lost contact with their Opening Day 2024 starter. Sandoval made 16 starts this season before his elbow started barking. He underwent Tommy John surgery in late June and will miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season. The Angels decided against paying Sandoval around $6 million for rehab next year, even though they could have kept him as an arbitration-eligible player in 2026. Sandoval, 28, has a career 4.01 ERA.

3. Philadelphia Phillies: FROM Austin Hays

Hays inked a deadline deal with the Orioles in 2024, but he never caught on in Philly. He hit .256/.275/.397 in 22 games with the Phillies and hit a total of just five home runs in 85 games last season (he spent the first four months of the season with the Orioles). Hays has a career OPS+ of 107 and that includes a career OPS of .800 against lefties. In the arbitration, Hays was projected to make a salary of more than $6 million.

4. Toronto Blue Jays:RHP Jordan Romano

Romano, a two-time All-Star, was not called up by the Blue Jays after elbow problems limited him to 15 appearances in 2024. He didn't throw a pitch after May 29, and when he did pitch, he wasn't effective (10 runs on the season). 13 2/3 innings). Romano was expected to earn about $8 million through arbitration. He had arthroscopic surgery on his elbow in July, and the non-tender suggests Toronto is so worried about Romano's health that they didn't want to give him roughly $8 million in 2025.

5. Washington Nationals:RHP Kyle Finnegan

Washington has been a closer the last two seasons, Finnegan was an All-Star in 2024, and he has thrown at least 60 innings in each of the last four years. His total saves were expected to push his salary to $9 million in 2025, which the Nationals consider too expensive for a 33-year-old reliever whose underlying numbers (strikeout rate, walk rate, etc .) are mediocre. The Nationals likely were unable to find a taker for Finnegan in a trade before moving forward with the no-tender.