Because of MLB's non-tender period, clubs each year allow some of their players who remain under team control to test the open market early, whether due to a rising price in arbitration or the need for additional space on the 40-man roster. Club team roster. Tonight we have discussed Five batsmen from this year's selection of non-nominated players who could be worth keeping an eye on this winter. None of these players can realistically be expected to follow in the footsteps of Cody Bellinger And Kyle SchwarberBoth of whom have re-established themselves as All-Star caliber players after their respective non-tenders, it wouldn't be that shocking if a player from this year's non-tender selection emerged as a notable player at some point in the future.
The best player not to play last winter was the right-hander Brandon Woodruffwho also served as co-ace of the Brewers rotation Corbin Burnes for years, but missed the entire 2024 season as he rehabilitated from shoulder surgery. Kevin Gausman stands out as another notable pitcher who hasn't played recently, and the veteran right-hander has had a fantastic career after breaking out at the age of 29. While no player from this genre has reached the heights of Gausman, it's hardly unusual to find an effective backup or even a quality starter in the non-tender stack. Just last year, both Spencer Turnbull And Tim Hill From non-tenders in November to pitching for playoff contenders in 2024. Could any of this year's group of non-tenders follow in their footsteps? Without further ado, let's take a look at five pitchers who entered free agency after the non-tender deadline last week and might be worth keeping an eye on this coming offseason. Players are listed in alphabetical order, with their ages for the 2025 season in parentheses.
Kyle Finnegan (33)
Finnegan's non-tender came as something of a shock, as the right-hander actually made his first career All-Star appearance that year. The right-hander was a consistent and stable presence in the back of the Nationals' bullpen throughout the rebuild, posting an overall average of 3.56 ERA (116 ERA+) with a 4.24 FIP and a strikeout average in his 290 1/3 innings. Rate of 23.5%. Finnegan also spent much of his time with the club in a closer role, making 88 saves in 109 opportunities in his career, for a conversion rate of 81%. Finnegan's overall performance that year was roughly in line with his career norms, as he posted a 3.68 ERA and 4.24 FIP in 63 2/3 innings and recorded 38 saves in 43 opportunities that year.
Those frequent save opportunities over the years have increased Finnegan's price in arbitration, and according to his most recent trip through the process this winter, he was set to make $8.6 million Predictions from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. Aside from the hefty price tag, another red flag that may have given the Nationals pause about their closer was the way he wore out throughout the year. After posting a stellar 2.45 ERA and 3.98 FIP in 40 1/3 innings before the All-Star break, Finnegan posted a 5.79 ERA with a 4 FIP in his last 24 appearances .71 and a strikeout rate of just 16.4%. Despite this potential sign of trouble, however, Finnegan offers late-inning experience, consistent results, and an upper-90s fastball that should attract a lot of attention this winter.
Hoby Milner (34)
Left-handed relief options are always in demand, and Milner expects to attract attention on the free agent market as a southpaw with previous success in the majors, not least even after the Brewers decided to non-tender him instead of his scheduled option Salary of $2.7 million for the 2025 season. Given Milwaukee's tight budget and Milner's poor results this year, this is certainly a justifiable decision. In 64 2/3 innings for the Brewers this year, Milner posted an ugly 4.73 ERA, which was 11% worse than league average as measured by ERA+. With a heater that doesn't reach 90 miles per hour, Milner doesn't attract much attention to his stuff either.
However, that doesn't mean he couldn't be a valuable contributor to a club's bullpen. As rough as Milner's 2024 campaign was, the underlying numbers were actually far friendlier to the southpaw: He beat a solid 23.9% of opponents while walking just 5.2%, and virtually every advanced metric was, as he posted, extremely optimistic about the left-hander's performance this year a 3.14 FIP, a 3.08 SIERA and a 3.15 in both xERA and xFIP. Milner also had the highest ground ball rate of his career (51.9%) and may have suffered from a shockingly low beach rate of just 58.1%. When you look at the three years Milner spent as an integral part of the Milwaukee bullpen from 2022 to 2024, a picture emerges of a reliable left-handed hitter who could improve many bullpens around the league: He hit 193 2/3 during that time Innings pitched with a 3.44 ERA with a 3.14 FIP overall. That track record should land him major league offers this winter, although his poor season last year could limit his earning potential.
Cal Quantrill (30)
Quantrill lands on this list because he is the best choice among all non-tender prospects to make 30 big league starts in 2025. The right-hander was forced to leave his previous organization before the second tender deadline of consecutive winters last week. After being designated for assignment by the Guardians in the days before the deadline last year, the Rockies completed a trade to add him to their rotation. This experiment went pretty well, as Quantrill posted a solid, if unspectacular, 4.98 ERA (93 ERA+) with a 5.32 FIP. As ugly as those numbers may look on paper, given the realities of pitching at Coors Field, they're broadly consistent with Quantrill's history as the fifth average starter in the league.
The right-hander enjoyed a breakout 2020 season split between Cleveland and San Diego, where he posted a 2.25 ERA in 32 innings while working out of the bullpen. The following year, he was used as a swingman in Cleveland and continued to dominate, posting a 2.89 ERA (despite a 4.07 FIP) in 149 2/3 innings in 2021. Starting in 2022, he was an integral part of the rotation as a swingman and was a consistently average back-of-the-rotation arm with a 4.35 ERA (96 ERA+) and 4.68 FIP in 80 starts. Averaging more than 26 starts per year with a roughly league-average ERA should be enough to secure Quantrill's reputation this year as a team that relies on a rotational bullpen, as he did early in his career.
Jordan Romano (32)
Romano was perhaps the non-tender who garnered the most attention following last week's non-tender deadline. A two-time All-Star, Romano was the Blue Jays' closer for most of their last competitive window. From 2020 to 2023, the right-hander posted an incredible 2.29 ERA in 200 2/3 innings with a 30.8% strikeout rate and a 3.13 FIP. Among relievers who pitched at least 160 innings during that time, Romano ranked just behind third in ERA Devin Williams And Emmanuel Clase. Unfortunately, the wheels completely fell off for the right-hander in 2024, as he was bombed for 10 runs in 13 2/3 innings before undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery that ended his season.
As terrible as Romano's 2024 campaign was, it's hard to imagine he didn't generate much interest this winter. The right-hander was assessed a salary of $7.75 million through arbitration on his last trip this winter, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him strike a similar deal in free agency with multiple clubs considering him as a prospect View buy-low solution in the ninth inning given his strong numbers and 105 career saves in 113 chances (89% conversation rate). Of course, Romano's market is still at least partially impacted by his struggles in 2024, but also by questions surrounding his health. Although he is expected to be ready for spring training and have a normal offseason following his surgery this summer, some concern from clubs is to be expected following elbow surgery.
Patrick Sandoval (28)
Sandoval is both the youngest player on this list and the one most likely to find success as a middle rotation starter or better in the big leagues at some point in the future. The left-hander was traded from the Astros to the Angels as a return for catcher Martin Maldonado in 2018, and the following year the southpaw was in the major leagues. While it took some time for Sandoval to establish himself in the majors, he found success in half a season of work out of the rotation in 2021 and managed to build on that with a breakout season the following year. In 2022, Sandoval posted an excellent 2.91 ERA with a 3.09 ERA in 148 2/3 innings. He struck out 23.7% of opponents and combined that with an outstanding 47.4% grounder rate.
Unfortunately, Sandoval's performance has declined since then. 2023 was a step backwards for the left-hander, as he posted a solid but relatively average 4.11 ERA (109 ERA+) with a 4.18 FIP in 144 2/3 innings. His strikeout rate dropped to just 19.3% this year, while his walk rate rose to 11.3%. Things got even worse this year, as he was under fire with a 5.08 ERA in 16 starts before undergoing Tommy John surgery in June. That will keep him out of action until at least the second half of 2025, and that release combined with Sandoval's recent poor performance made the Halos' decision to part ways with him seem somewhat surprising. However, with Sandoval not set to hit free agency until after the 2026 season, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a club sign the left-back to a two-year deal and be happy if he can return to something closer to his form in 2022 , once he's back on the mound.
