Seattle Mariners News: Five Non-Tendered Players Who Could Help The M’s

Major League Baseball is a league dependent on deadlines. Some of them we know well – the July 31st non-waiver trading deadline, for example. Some of them we don’t know so well – Tuesday night’s contract tender deadline, for example. That deadline just passed! And as a result, there are some new entrants to the free agent market.

Here’s how it works: teams tender contracts to players whose rights they control. Some of these guys are arbitration eligible, while some have yet to reach that level. Players signed to major league free agent deals are exempt from this, of course. If a team doesn’t think a player is worth their projected arbitration salary, they can simply non-tender the player, making them a free agent. Teams often do this in order to re-sign their guys to cheaper contracts. But in some cases, the player is more desirable than the team would’ve liked and thus hits the open market.

As such, there are rarely sexy names on the non-tender market. This year isn’t much of an exception, though there are some unquestionably interesting guys out there for teams to take a look at. This is a good time to pick up a nice piece for the bench or the bullpen, or perhaps take a gamble on a young guy who hasn’t yet reached his upside.

The Mariners may well have a need for a bench guy or two, and there’s really no need to ever stop hoarding bullpen arms. The rotation could use some depth, as well. Luckily, the non-tender market features several guys who fit the Mariners’ needs. Read on to see how the M’s can fill out their roster with cheap upside.