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5 players who were non-tendered that the Mariners should look at in free agency
The Free Agent pool got deeper once the non-tender deadline passed. Who should the Mariners look at?
The offseason is here, and the stove is hot. We have written time and time again this offseason that the depth of this free agent class is not there, but the pool is deeper now that the non-tender deadline has come and gone. Teams had to solidify their 40 man rosters by November 17th, and that means players are being released. Last year, Cody Bellinger was the most notable non-tender, and he could be on his way to signing a mega deal this offseason.
The Mariners are an interesting team to watch this offseason, because they could either go big like the fans want, or do what they did last year and disappoint the fans. The M's finished 88-74 and missed the playoffs by one game in 2023. They added bats like Teoscar Hernandez and Kolten Wong, along with free agents AJ Pollock and Tommy La Stella. All were disappointments, and only Teoscar Hernandez remained with the team come season's end.
Will the Mariners add this offseason? I am confident they will. Maybe not Shohei Ohtani or Cody Bellinger, but there are plenty of guys who could help round out the roster for 2024 and beyond. Here are my top 5 free agents, who were non-tendered last week, who i hope the Mariners at least take a look at.
Honorable Mentions - familiar faces that could return to Seattle?
Daniel Vogelbach, Kyle Lewis, Trevor Gott, and Penn Murphy all were non-tendered and are now free agents. Should we bring any of them back? I would say no to Vogelbach and Lewis, unfortunately. Vogelbach has struggled his last few seasons, while Kyle Lewis has not stayed healthy since his 2020 Rookie of the Year campaign. Vogelbach was a fan favorite in Seattle, and if you know me at all, you know he is a favorite of mine as well. But I just do not see a fit for him in Seattle. I wish both Vogey and Lewis well, just not in Seattle.
I do see value in bringing back Trevor Gott and Penn Murphy. Murphy will miss most, if not all of 2024 because he had Tommy John Surgery. He has already been released by the Mariners, Mets and Braves this offseason. Bringing him back as a non-roster invitee and placing him on the 60-man could be the way to go. Gott struggled with the Mets after the Mariners traded him to New York last season, but he really did pitch well for the Mariners. He had a 4.03 ERA with the Mariners, and a 2.98 FIP in 29 innings.
5. Adam Cimber, RP
Puyallup High School grad and former Washington Husky Adam Cimber was a somewhat surprise non-tender. Sure, he had a bad 2023, but from 2019-2022, he had a 3.12 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP. He has a funky delivery and is not a strikeout guy. He also averaged just 2.1 walks per 9 innings in that span, and even led the American League in games played, at 77 games. 2023 was really bad for Cimber, as he only pitched in 20.2 innings, with a 7.40 ERA. He gave up 6 home runs, the same amount he gave up the year previous in 70.2 innings.
Cimber has the talent to stick around, and he will be on multiple teams' radar ahead of Spring Training. I would love to see the Mariners bring him in on a short-term deal. He will be entering his age-33 season, so he may not have many opportunities after this season if he doesn't perform in 2024. He has been used as a high leverage arm before, and I think he could do it again. Bring him home, Mariners.
4. Spencer Turnbull, SP
You may remember his name, from when he threw a no-hitter against the Mariners back in 2021. He threw the no-no on May 18th of 2021, and was placed on the IL with a forearm strain on June 5th of that season. Later on that year, he was forced to undergo Tommy John Surgery, and missed the rest of 2021 and all of 2022. He came back in 2023 and struggled mightily. He started just 7 games for the Tigers and pitched to a 7.26 ERA in 31 innings.
HE’S DONE IT! SPENCER TURNBULL HAS THROWN A NO HITTER! pic.twitter.com/r41uNB9Puh
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 19, 2021
Signing Turnbull would not be a major signing, in my mind. He is going into his age-31 season, fresh off of Tommy John. I think he would be a solid depth piece, either as a starter or a long reliever for the Mariners. He could also be depth down in Tacoma, kind of like how Tommy Malone was for the mariners the last few seasons. Maybe he latches onto a Major League roster somewhere, but I think he will be on a minimum contract, and for that price, I am all in on Spencer Turnbull.
3. Rowdy Tellez, 1B/DH
Will Rowdy Tellez ever win a batting title? No. Will he hit his weight? Probably not. But Tellez can mash, as shown by his 2022 season where he hit 35 home runs for the Brewers. He struggled for the Brew Crew in 2023, hitting just .215/.291/.376/.667 with an OPS+ of 82. Maybe he has fallen off, but I am not ready to give up on Rowdy just yet.
Rowdy Tellez home run to break a scoreless tie in the 7th inning! pic.twitter.com/vD6wueVh2T
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 8, 2021
Most lefty power hitters struggle against left-handed pitching. Think of Tellez like Vogelbach, but Tellez can hit lefties. His career slash line against lefty's is .236/.308/.386/.694. While that is not exactly amazing, he is not completely useless against them. He is a player, who the Mariners can get cheap, and can be plugged into the DH spot should the team not be able to land an even bigger bat. This might not be the most popular move, but it is one I can see the mariners making.
2. Austin Meadows, OF/DH
For a team with as many issues as the Detroit Tigers have, I am surprised they let Meadows go. From a production standpoint, He has been a disappointment for the Tigers. Meadows was once a top prospect in the Tigers organization and was famously traded along with Tyler Glasnow from Pittsburgh for Chris Archer. That was one of the worst trades in baseball over the last 10 years. In Tampa, Meadows hit .256/.334/.493/.828 with an OPS+ of 125. He then was dealt to the Tigers in 2022, and has struggled since. Injuries have hampered him since 2021.
Meadows can still hit, if he is healthy. His career strikeout percentage is 21.4%, less than the MLB average of 22.8%. He also takes his walks, walking in 9.2% of his at bats. He has some pop, averaging 27 homeruns over a 162-game season in his career. He will not command a large contract, and I would think he signs a minimum salary to prove he is healthy this offseason. If he is healthy, the team found a contact-hitting DH who does not strike out 30% of the time. If he isn't healthy, then cut him for almost no penalty. Win/win move.
1. Brandon Woodruff, SP
Brandon Woodruff being non-tendered has been the most shocking event of the offseason so far. He will miss most, if not all of 2024 because of shoulder surgery. 2024 was the final year of arbitration for Woodruff, but it was still a surprise for the Brewers to just release him. THey get no compensation for him, and they lose a true ace for nothing.
A 2.70 ERA over his last 399.2 innings? Yeah…Brandon Woodruff will generate interest. pic.twitter.com/WybHPEydLY
— Discuss Baseball (@discussbaseball) November 18, 2023
Woodruff has a career 3.10 ERA over 680.1 innings, with a 1.04 WHIP. His best season came in 2021, where he finished 5th in NL Cy Young voting. If the Mariners were to sign him, I would expect him to sign a similar deal to Mike Clevinger, when Clev signed with the Padres back in 2021. Clevinger had Tommy John Surgery late in the 2020 season and was going to miss all of 2021. He signed a 2YR/$12M deal with the Padres that offseason. He made less money in year one, while he was recovering from surgery. Then he made the bulk of that $12M in 2022, when he was heathy again.
Woodruff is a true ace, when he is healthy. I would expect him to have a huge number of teams calling him. He will get to choose where he plays in 2024 and beyond. The Mariners really could use a guy like Woodruff, but they also need more pitchers who would be available in 2024, Signing Woodruff would be a luxury the Mariners absolutely can afford, and one that could let the team trade a young pitcher for some much needed hitting without skipping a beat. As always, Go Mariners!