Say goodbye to Eddie Rosario, Twins nation. That’s right. The star LF was just non-tendered by the Twins. Stick to the end of the article to see what baseball star was just let go into free agency, as I count down the top 10 players who were just non-tendered.
10. Nomar Mazara
It wasn’t that long ago that Mazara was the number 5 prospect in baseball. With star potential, Mazara was looking like a stud for the Rangers. That never panned out. The 25 year old RF played four years on the Rangers, hitting 79 home runs with a .754 OPS. He was traded to the White Sox for mid-level prospect Steele Walker. He didn’t deliver for the White Sox, slashing .228/.295/.294 with -0.3 WAR. He’ll likely be thrown into a backup role at this point, or maybe even sent down to AAA.
9. David Dahl
Again another top prospect who didn’t quite pan out, Dahl was once the #31 prospect in baseball. He was an all-star in 2019, but fell flat in 2020. In 99 PA, he had -1.1 WAR. Not even Chris Davis was that bad in 2020.
8. Maikel Franco
Adding to our list of prospects who didn’t pan out, Maikel Franco was once the #17 prospect in baseball. After a disappointing 2019, Franco was let go into free agency by the Phillies. He had a good year in 2020, but it wasn’t enough to keep his spot on the Royals — he will likely be on to his third team in three years.
7. Curt Casali
Casali has never been one to impress an entire league. However, a surprisingly weak not-tendered class props him up to this spot. Casali has always been just okay, good at defense and subpar at offense. He may be suited for a backup role, but at 32 years old he won’t have many suitors.
6. Adam Duvall
Perhaps one of the more surprising moves, Duvall was non-tendered by the Braves. After hitting 16 home runs in 2020, the Braves let him go. Granted, his OBP is abnormally low, but after 16 HR you would think that the Braves would keep him around.
5. Brian Goodwin
I’ve always been high on Goodwin, but his value decreased significantly after the trading deadline when he did terribly with the Reds. He started the year off pretty well with the Angels, but then he got traded and put up a 47 OPS+. Despite that, I hope he signs with the White Sox.
4. Archie Bradley
The only pitcher on today’s list, Bradley has a terrible beard and is terrible for hitters. Ever since 2017 when he converted to a reliever, Bradley has dominated. That was the case in 2020, but the 28 year old was non-tendered, maybe to make room for a top free agent.
3. Hanser Alberto
Alberto isn’t a star, but rather one of the most underrated players in baseball. The 28 year old put up subpar numbers in 2020, which likely led to his demise. However, Alberto hit .305 in 2019, which will probably land him in a starting role somewhere.
2. Eddie Rosario
This move really surprised me. The 6 year veteran has put up 11.6 WAR in his career, which has included 119 HR and a .788 OPS. In 2019 he put up 32 HR, but he doesn’t walk. He can make a good, solid player for a team looking for a LF.
1. Kyle Schwarber
While this move isn’t surprising, it might set off a series of self-destructing moves from the Cubs. However, Schwarber did pretty terribly in 2020 with a .701 OPS. To make matters worse, he struck out 29.5% of the time. He was all-star level in 2019 with 38 HR and an .871 OPS. Where he’ll sign is still a mystery.
Thanks for reading!