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By Patrick Mooney, Will Sammon and Katie Woo Major League Baseball ’s current pool of free agents expanded as clubs made moves ahead of Friday’s deadline to offer contracts to arbitration-eligible players. While many of these decisions were formalities, the intricate arbitration system forces action and creates new opportunities. Certain players who were just cut loose could succeed in a different environment.
Advertisement That’s always an ongoing conversation inside every front office: What could a change of scenery do for that player’s career? Which coaches on staff could identify adjustments and unlock that potential? How does the organization’s statistical model value the projected performance against the projected arbitration salary? Why not take a chance and see what happens? Scanning the list of non-tendered players, these seven names jumped out. Estimates are from MLB Trade Rumors: Patrick Sandoval , RHP Opening Day age: 28 Arbitration projection: $5.9 million Sandoval stands out as a solid starting pitcher, but he’s unlikely to return until July or later after he underwent Tommy John surgery.
Therefore, any team that signs Sandoval would likely be giving him a small multiyear deal, perhaps similar to the backloaded two-year deal Tyler Mahle signed in December 2023. When healthy, Sandoval has shown he can be effective, slotting somewhere in the middle of a club’s rotation. Since 2021 (460 innings), Sandoval has a 3.
80 ERA/3.75 FIP with decent strikeout and walk rates. Austin Hays , OF Opening Day age: 29 Arbitration projection: $6.
4 million The Philadelphia Phillies liked Hays’ skillset enough to trade high-end reliever Seranthony Domínguez for him at the deadline, but a slew of bad injury luck prevented him from contributing for most of the final two months of the regular season. A hamstring strain and a serious kidney infection limited Hays to just 22 games with Philadelphia. Still, he’ll be an intriguing free agent to monitor.
Hays is one year removed from an All-Star season with the Baltimore Orioles , one where he also finished as a Gold Glove finalist in left field. Teams love versatility, and Hays can play all three outfield positions. He also mashes left-handed pitching — Hays hit .
354/.405/.537 against lefties last season.
Kyle Finnegan , RHP Opening Day age: 33 Arbitration projection: $8.6 million The Washington Nationals made a surprising move to nontender an All-Star in Finnegan, but some underlying numbers can likely explain their decision. In arbitration, standard statistics such as wins and saves are weighed to determine the dollar figure.
An argument can be made that Finnegan’s 38 saves might have led to a salary incongruent with his actual value. Finnegan’s hard-hit rate has ranked in the bottom 5 percent of the major leagues two straight years and he doesn’t generate much chase or swing-and-miss. Despite all that, Finnegan often got the job done.
He’ll be behind other high-leverage relievers with closing experience in the market, which may be impacted by trade since the St. Louis Cardinals’ Ryan Helsley and the Milwaukee Brewers’ Devin Williams loom as attractive candidates. Advertisement Jordan Romano , RHP Opening Day age: 31 Arbitration projection: $7.
75 million The Toronto Blue Jays dropped Romano, a homegrown closer who grew up in Canada and had been drafted and developed into a two-time All-Star by their organization. This move wasn’t a total shock, as The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath detailed , since Romano dealt with an elbow injury that limited him to only 15 appearances this year and required season-ending surgery. Still, when healthy, Romano proved himself as a closer on a contending club.
Both of his All-Star campaigns lined up with Toronto’s playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023. Given the volatility of relievers, as well as Romano’s track record, teams will be intrigued by the possibilities, hoping he can approximate his peak years. Between 2020 and 2023, he posted a 2.
29 ERA with 251 strikeouts in 200-plus innings. Dylan Carlson , OF Opening Day age: 26 Arbitration projection: $2.7 million A former top prospect for the St.
Louis Cardinals , Dylan Carlson’s fall from grace is surprising based on his prior pedigree. Carlson was the Cardinals’ first-round draft pick in 2016 and finished as a National League Rookie of the Year finalist in 2021. But the decline in his offensive production has been staggering dating back to 2022 and led to the Cardinals trading him to the Rays at the deadline this season simply to offload him from the roster.
Like Hays, Carlson is a versatile outfielder and can play all three positions. He’s also a switch-hitter, though he hits left-handed pitching significantly better than right-handers. There are concerns over his three-year dip offensively, but Carlson’s age makes him an obvious candidate for a team looking for a reclamation project.
Brendan Rodgers , 2B Opening Day age: 28 Arbitration projection: $5.5 million Despite being the third overall pick in 2015 and a former top-100 prospect, Rodgers was entering his final year of club control without ever doing much to convince the Rockies that he was worth holding onto. Colorado listened to trade talks regarding Rodgers but ultimately will get nothing for him.
He has tantalized just enough to remain an interesting player now that he’s available. But he hasn’t improved much since winning the Gold Glove at second base in 2022. In fact, advanced defensive metrics indicated he was well below average in 2024.
Offensively, Rodgers has some pop for a middle infielder, hitting at least 13 home runs in three of the past four seasons, but doesn’t offer speed or a high on-base rate. For his career, he has slashed .266/.
316/.409. Advertisement Ramón Laureano , OF Opening Day Age: 31 Arbitration projection: $6.
1 million The Cleveland Guardians released Laureano in May when things were looking bleak for the veteran, but he salvaged some of his value after performing well with the Atlanta Braves , mostly seeing time in right field. In 226 plate appearances with Atlanta, Laureano hit 10 home runs with 5 stolen bases and a .832 OPS.
Once an all-around solid player with the A’s, Laureano’s production fell drastically after he was hit with a PED suspension in 2021. Over the next two seasons, he had just a .669 OPS.
It’ll be interesting to see how much Laureano’s short stint with the Braves ends up enticing teams looking for outfield help. (Top photo of Patrick Sandoval: Joe Sargent / Getty Images).
