Sports Time Radio

We’re at the time of the year in the baseball off season when there isn’t very much going on. I guess you could call it a dead period or something like that. It’s not really a surprise that this is happening because it goes on pretty much every year and while we might get a few minor trades and some what would be considered lower tier free agents might find new teams the bigger name free agent won’t sign with anybody until closer to spring training.

Of course, writers still have columns that they have to produce, and the MLB Network has television time to fill, so we’re going to hear a lot of reports about how this team or that team is interested in a top free agent. Now everyone one of these reports have to be taken with a grain of salt because when they say this team is interested in a free agent well of course they are he’s the top player or pitcher on the free agent market.

It makes complete sense that every team would be interested in a Aaron Judge coming off the season he just had. Justin Verlander is another player who’ll be linked to every team and that makes sense since he just won his 3rd career Cy Young award.

Now the first thing you have to look at is which team or teams are they saying are interested in said free agent. Very rarely a top tier free agent signs with a non-contender, so when you hear that a team that just finished at the bottom of their division wants to sign the best free agent on the market you have to think if that player would actually go there.

Now I’m not saying that a top free agent won’t sign with a team that was under .500 last season, but it’s doubtful that will happen. Remember just last off-season Kris Bryant signed with the Colorado Rockies, but it took a 7-year $182 million dollar deal to get him to join the Rockies.

Unless that certain player grew up in that set area or the team that is pursuing him offers way over market value and way more years than any other team was willing to it’s very unlikely will see a major free agent sign with one of those teams.

Now that doesn’t mean those teams can’t get better and eventually sign a top free agent. All it means is that they’re going to have to add those lower tier free agent and develop their young players to become surprise contenders very much like the way the Baltimore Orioles did last season.

There were some interesting players added to the free agent pool when their current team decided to non-tender them. Basically, non-tender means that the team didn’t choose to offer that player a contract and they won’t go to arbitration to settle the issue. Once a player is non-tendered that player is free to sign with any team.

The biggest name that was non-tendered was Cody Bellinger by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bellinger is a former Rookie of the Year and MVP award winner but has struggled since winning that MVP award in 2019. Bellinger played in 144 games last season and did hit 27 home runs, but his batting average was just .210 and he struck out 150 times.

Bellinger wasn’t the only player that was non-tendered that will draw some interest as a free agent. Some other non-tendered players were Alex Reyes by the St, Louis Cardinals, Brian Anderson by the Miami Marlins, Luke Voit by the Washington Nationals, Dominic Smith by the New York Mets, Jeimer Candelario by the Detroit Tigers as well as Adam Engel by the Chicago White Sox just to name a few.

I’m sure that any team who signs one of these non-tendered players hopes that they have the same kind of success that Kyle Schwarber has had since he was non-tender by the Chicago Cubs after the season.

For whatever reason the Cubs decided that Schwarber couldn’t play against left-handed pitching, but given a chance by the Nationals, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies Schwarber has hit 78 home runs over the past two seasons.

So, let me know if there’s a non-tendered player that you’d like to see your favorite team take a chance on? Feel free to find a player that I didn’t list or maybe one of those players is the one you’d like to see signed.

As always don’t forget to look me up on Twitter while you can, I’m @Burketime.