1 non-tender candidate for all 30 teams

Clubs must decide whether to tender contracts by Friday

November 29th, 2018

With more than 200 players eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, Friday's 8 p.m. ET deadline to tender contracts figures to present myriad decisions to club executives around the Majors.
For players tendered contracts, they will have more than a month to work out new deals with their teams before exchanging arbitration figures on Jan. 11, after which they can still hammer out a deal or go to a hearing.
So which players may be in danger of being non-tendered and added to the free-agent market? Here's a team-by-team look with the most likely candidate from all 30 clubs.
American League East
Orioles:
Beckham had the worst season of his career in 2018, slashing .230/.287/.374 in 402 plate appearances. He earned $3.35 million last season, and given the Orioles' rebuilding movement, it seems likely they would move on rather than paying him more in '19.
Red Sox:
Thornburg missed all of 2017 and half of '18 following surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, appearing in only 25 games since being acquired from the Brewers two years ago for . Thornburg earned $2.05 million and is a year away from free agency.
Yankees: Didi Gregorius
could have been the pick here, though he may be traded before the non-tender deadline. Gregorius earned $8.5 million last season and is likely in line for a raise, but he'll probably miss at least the first half of the season following Tommy John surgery and will be a free agent next winter. Will the Yankees want to pay him that much for 2-3 months of work? The guess here is that he is tendered, but never say never.

Rays:
C.J. Cron was the obvious non-tender candidate only a few days ago, but the Rays designated him for assignment, despite the fact he led the team with 30 home runs last season. With only four players eligible for arbitration -- Mike Zunino, Tommy Pham, and Roe -- it's a near-certainty that Tampa Bay will tender contracts to all of them, though if any of them were to be non-tendered, Roe would be the most likely.
Blue Jays:
Barring an unforeseen trade, Solarte appears destined for a non-tender. The infielder's slash line plummeted for a second straight season as he hit .226/.277/.378 in 122 games in 2018. Solarte made $4.125 million last season, adding $750,000 on a buyout when the Jays declined his $5.5 million option for '19, though he's still a year of service time shy of being a free agent.
American League Central
White Sox:
The White Sox have been aggressively shopping Garcia, leading some to believe they'll non-tender him if they're unable to trade him. Garcia couldn't follow up his strong 2017 campaign with another good season, posting a .719 OPS -- a 166-point drop from the previous year. Garcia earned $6.7 million last year and is in line for a raise in his final year of arbitration eligibility.

Indians:
Cleveland has six arbitration-eligible players and is likely to tender contracts to all of them, but given that Salazar earned $5 million last season and missed the entire season with a shoulder injury that required surgery, it's a decision the Indians might at least have to discuss.
Tigers:
McCann's numbers declined significantly in 2018, when he slashed .200/.267/.314 in 457 plate appearances. Though given the free-agent catching market, Detroit might give McCann one more shot. He earned $2.375 million last season and is arbitration-eligible for the next two years.
Royals:
The Royals are likely to tender all three of their arbitration-eligible players -- Cuthbert, and  -- as none of the three are likely to earn much as $2 million in their first year of arbitration. Cuthbert gets the nod here after playing only 88 games over the past two seasons, posting a .591 OPS during that time.
Twins: Robbie Grossman
Grossman has posted a .741 and .751 OPS the past two seasons, unable to get back to his .828 mark from 2016. Having made $2 million last season, he could be in danger of a non-tender after the Twins claimed -- who had a .972 OPS at Double-A and Triple-A last year -- off waivers from the Braves.
American League West
Astros:
Marisnick's 2017 season (.815 OPS, 119 OPS+) is looking more like an outlier after he reverted closer to his career averages in '18. Marisnick posted a .674 OPS and 85 OPS+, earning $1.9 million in the process. He has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining.

Angels:
A right forearm strain limited Shoemaker to seven starts in 2018, when he earned $4.125 million. He's made only 21 starts since the start of '17 and has topped 136 innings in a season only once, when he threw 160 in 2016. He's two years away from free agency.
A's: Mike Fiers
Fiers pitched well for both the Tigers and Athletics last season, posting a 3.56 ERA in 172 innings. The right-hander earned $6 million on a one-year deal in 2018, though he's still a year of service time away from being a free agent. With 12 players eligible for arbitration, Oakland could decide to non-tender one of the higher-paid players -- and it won't be .
Mariners:
Seattle has two arbitration-eligible players -- Alex Colome is the other -- and both are expected to be tendered contracts. Elias showed promise as a starter in 2014 and '15, but he threw only eight big league innings while spending most of 2016 and '17 in Boston's Minor League system. He was traded back to Seattle this past April, pitching well in 23 appearances (four starts).
Rangers:
DeShields is arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason, but after posting a sub-.600 OPS for the second time in three seasons, it remains to be seen whether Texas still believes in him long term.
National League East
Braves:
Duvall displayed great power in 2016 and '17, slamming 64 home runs over two seasons for the Reds. But after hitting 15 in 105 games with Cincinnati this past season, he was a bust in 33 games with the Braves, going 7-for-53 (.132) with no homers or RBIs and a woeful .344 OPS. He earned $645,000 last season, and even a modest raise would seem to be against Atlanta's best interests given its roster.

Marlins: Dan Straily
was the top candidate to be non-tendered, but the Marlins designated him for assignment on Tuesday. Straily earned $3.37 million last season and will be due a raise in his second year of arbitration. But after posting a 4.12 ERA and 5.11 FIP in 23 starts (122 1/3 innings) in 2018, the Marlins could let the soon-to-be 30-year-old walk and look elsewhere.
Mets:
The Mets are seeking catching help on the market, which could be bad news for d'Arnaud, who was limited to four games in 2018 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. d'Arnaud, who had a sub-.300 on-base percentage in '17, made $3.475 million last season.
Phillies:
After a solid 2017, the right-hander was a mess last season, posting a 6.07 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 46 innings over 59 appearances. He made $1.2 million in '18, and although he isn't likely to get a huge raise in his second year of arbitration, Philadelphia should have better (and less expensive) options for the bullpen.
Nationals: Sammy Solis
Solis has had back-to-back subpar seasons, posting ERAs of 5.88 and 6.41 over 86 appearances in those two years. Solis earned about $560,000 last year and is entering his first arbitration year, but his performance might be enough for Washington to say goodbye.
National League Central
Cubs:
Russell earned $3.2 million in his first year of arbitration eligibility, then posted the worst season of his four-year career. Russell had career lows with five home runs, 38 RBIs, a .657 OPS and a 74 OPS+. It's possible the Cubs decide to move on from the 24-year-old.
Reds: Curt Casali
The Reds appear unlikely to non-tender any of their arbitration-eligible players, but Casali would be one to watch. He earned the minimum last season and is entering his first year of arbitration, but Cincinnati could work out a deal with him ahead of the non-tender date.
Brewers:
Schoop made $8.5 million in 2018, posting mediocre numbers in Baltimore before being traded to Milwaukee on July 31. The infielder struggled with the Brewers (.577 OPS in 46 games), and with a deep free-agent market at second base, Milwaukee could non-tender him and look elsewhere.

Pirates:
Pittsburgh seems likely to tender all three of its arbitration-eligible players -- Corey Dickerson, and Feliz -- but Feliz struggled again in 2018, posting a 5.66 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. Feliz -- who was part of the return in the trade -- is in his first year of arbitration, however, so the salary raise shouldn't be steep.
Cardinals:
Shreve earned $825,000 in 2018, his first year of arbitration eligibility. He pitched well at times after being traded to the Cardinals, but lefties had a .911 OPS against the southpaw, leaving him susceptible to a non-tender.
National League West
D-backs:
Injuries have limited Miller to nine starts and 38 innings over the past two seasons, and his performance when he's actually been on the mound has been underwhelming over the past three years. His 2015 All-Star campaign feels like an eternity ago, and having made $4.9 million in 2018, Arizona could decide whatever raise he'd get in a fourth year of arbitration isn't worth it.
Rockies: Tony Wolters
In all likelihood, the Rockies won't non-tender any of their eight arbitration-eligible players. But Wolters, who hit .170/.292/.286 in 74 games last season, would be the most susceptible. Wolters, who had the game-winning hit in the 13th inning of the National League Wild Card Game, earned $550,000 in 2018 and is in the first of his four arbitration-eligible years.

Dodgers:
Tom Koehler, and were all prime non-tender candidates, but the Dodgers released Koehler and designated the other two for assignment on Tuesday. Garcia, who earned $630,000 in 2018, missed all but nine games in '16 and all of '17 following knee surgery and Tommy John surgery. He made 25 appearances last season, posting a 5.64 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 22 1/3 innings.
Padres:
Mitchell earned about $550,000 last season, and although he's only entering his first year of arbitration eligibility, he's coming off a subpar season in which he had a 5.42 ERA and 1.75 WHIP in 73 innings. Of San Diego's seven arbitration-eligible players, he appears most in danger of being non-tendered.
Giants: Joe Panik
Panik made $3.45 million in 2018, his first year of arbitration eligibility, but injuries continue to hamper the second baseman. Panik's .639 OPS, four home runs and 24 RBIs were all career lows, so if new president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi wants to shake up the roster, second base might be the logical place to start.