Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder and former National League Most Valuable Player Cody Bellinger was the most notable name not to be offered a contract in advance of Friday evening’s non-tender deadline in Major League Baseball.
As a result, Bellinger and all the names listed below are now free agents since they were not “tendered” contracts for 2023 prior to the non-tender deadline for pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players. Those players are now free to negotiate with any team, including the team that just non-tendered them. Teams generally non-tender players because they have very limited interest in bringing them back, but in some cases they remain interested in a reunion but not at the salary the player likely would’ve commanded in or leading up to the arbitration process.
In Bellinger’s case, the Dodgers have probably made the latter determination. It’s not often that 27-year-old former MVPs who excel at up-the-middle defensive positions are in such a position, but that speaks to Bellinger’s steep decline at the plate. Over the last two seasons, he’s managed to bat just .193/.256/.355 (64 OPS+) with 29 home runs in a combined 239 games while also showing generally poor batted-ball metrics. Given that Bellinger was likely to make around $18 million for next season through arbitration, the Dodgers determined that he wasn’t worth such a price tag in light of his extended struggles at the plate. However, it bears repeating that this doesn’t necessarily mean that Bellinger’s days with the Dodgers are at an end. Given his defensive value, age and power potential (he hit 47 home runs during that MVP season of 2019), there will be a market for his services, including, perhaps, back in L.A.
Another notable name is that of St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Alex Reyes. The 28-year-old former All-Star has electric stuff and for a long time was perhaps the top pitching prospect in baseball. However, a long run of injuries has prevented him from reaching that ceiling and staying there. Reyes boasts an impressive 2.86 ERA at the highest level, but he’s managed to pitch just 145 innings across parts of five MLB seasons.
Now, here’s a look at all the names who were non-tendered on Friday and thus are now part of the free agent pool for the 2022-23 offseason. Names are organized by the non-tendering team.
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