Running Down the Top Buy-Low Non-Tenders Now on the Free-Agent Market

Allow me to present a couple reasons why you should give a darn that Major League Baseball's non-tender deadline came and went Tuesday night:

Justin Turner, Chris Coghlan, Sam Fuld and Ryan Webb.

What these four have in common is that they were non-tendered ahead of last year's deadline and also that they went on to be productive players for cheap in 2014. Particularly Turner, who (PUN INCOMING) turned a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers into a .340 average and .897 OPS.

When it comes to the non-tender process—which, for the record, is when teams have to decide whether they want to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players or cut them loose on the free-agent market—there's no doubt that success stories like these are the exception to the rule.

Nevertheless, they're a solid excuse to comb through this year's non-tenders in search of intriguing buy-low options. And from this particular perch, there are a few worth discussing.

Injury Gambles: Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy

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Why the Atlanta Braves deemed right-handers Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy expendable on Tuesday is no big secret. Medlen and Beachy both underwent Tommy John surgery in March. One concern is that they missed all of 2014 as a result, but the much bigger concern is that it was the second Tommy John operation for both of them.

In light of that, it's hard to blame the Braves for not wanting to spend the $7.3 million that MLB Trade Rumors projected it would have cost to keep the two of them.

Of course, prospective buyers for Medlen and Beachy will be aware of their injury histories. But they'll also be aware of two other things:

1. When healthy, Medlen and Beachy have been pretty good.
2. It's not out of the question that both will be able to produce in 2015.

In 43 starts across 2012 and 2013, Medlen authored a 2.47 ERA and a 4.27 K/BB ratio. That was mainly thanks to excellent fastball command and one of the game's best changeups.

As for Beachy, he was only able to make 18 starts between 2012 and 2013. But that's a sample size containing a 2.00 ERA in 13 starts in 2012, and an impressive 5.75 K/BB ratio in five starts in 2013.

Looking ahead to 2015, the word from the Associated Press (h/t USA Today) is that the Braves were expecting Medlen and Beachy to be ready to return by May or June. Maybe that's still in play, which opens up an especially fascinating door where Medlen is concerned.

It's possible Medlen could be eased into action with a bullpen role before being turned loose in a rotation role. That would be repeating Atlanta's model for his 2012 season, which ended with him posting an 0.97 ERA in 12 starts down the stretch.

In short: Signing Medlen could mean adding an ace midway through 2014, while adding Beachy could mean adding a solid mid-rotation starter. That obviously comes with a big "health permitting" caveat, but there's more than enough upside with both to attract buy-low attention.

Platoon Power Hitters: Kyle Blanks, Gaby Sanchez and Juan Francisco

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No commodity in baseball is quite as valuable as power these days, and teams will take it any way they can get it.

That includes platoon power, so let's talk about three guys who have some to offer: Kyle Blanks, Gaby Sanchez and Juan Francisco.

Blanks, who was cut loose by the Oakland A's, is a righty-swinger who's had issues finding major league at-bats in recent seasons. But one thing he's teased over the last two years is that he could destroy left-handed pitching if given a regular opportunity. In his last 154 plate appearances against southpaws, he's hit .286 with seven homers and .843 OPS.

As for Sanchez, who was non-tendered by the Pittsburgh Pirates, he's a righty-swinger who's far more proven when it comes to hitting left-handed pitching. Though not terribly consistent, he's at times been very dangerous against southpaws since 2010.

Via FanGraphs:

Year	PA	HR	AVG	OBP	SLUG	OPS
2010	164	6	.324	.390	.535	.925
2011	158	5	.295	.420	.481	.901
2012	111	3	.240	.333	.396	.729
2013	126	4	.333	.448	.539	.987
2014	148	3	.256	.318	.429	.746
Total	707	21	.291	.383	.478	.861

The knock on Blanks and Sanchez is that neither offers much positional versatility, but either one would work as the right-handed half of a first-base/designated-hitter platoon.

Francisco, meanwhile, could work as the left-handed half of one of those. The Boston Red Sox castoff has a bad swing-and-miss problem that makes it tough for him to be consistent, but he's definitely hit right-handers for a lot of power over the last two seasons.

The numbers? How about a .470 slugging percentage and 33 homers in only 560 plate appearances?

Picking up any one of these three guys would mean sacrificing some versatility. But if they were to live up to their potential as platoon power producers, they could make that worthwhile.

Need for Speed: Eric Young Jr.

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

At the absolute worst, what you're looking at here is a pinch runner.

If there's one thing Eric Young Jr. can do, it's steal bases. The New York Mets castoff led the National League with 46 in 2013, and his 76 over the last two seasons are fourth in baseball behind only Jacoby Ellsbury, Jose Altuve and Rajai Davis.

Young's big problem is that he can't hit, as he's only a .242 hitter with a .633 OPS over the last two seasons. That could be helped by a strict platoon role, however. Young's a switch-hitter, but he's had an easier time getting on base against right-handed pitching throughout his career.

There's also at least some hope that Young could be turned into the super-utility man his skill set says he should be. But if not, the defensive metrics agree that he can at least play well-above-average defense in left field, per FanGraphs. Any team that has room for a platoon out there should give him a call.

Reclamation Project: Everth Cabrera

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Everth Cabrera has gone from being an All-Star midway through 2013 to being suspended for 50 games as part of the Biogenesis scandal to playing in 90 disappointing games in 2014. Oh, and he's also had some run-ins with the law recently.

When you go on a journey like that, your team might just drop you rather than sign up to pay you roughly $3 million. That's what the San Diego Padres did with Cabrera.

And yet, you can count on there being interest in him on the open market. He'll stand out as a cheap alternative next to fellow shortstops Stephen Drew, Jed Lowrie and Asdrubal Cabrera, and Grantland's Jonah Keri highlighted why here:

In other words: Cabrera's a potential solid-hitting, solid-fielding, fast-running shortstop who could be had really cheap.

One thing Cabrera will need to pull off a bounce-back is good health, as issues with his hamstrings in 2014 limited him in the field and on the basepaths. Aside from that, he'll just need luck back on his side. His average fell to .232 in 2014 partially because he hit a few too many ground balls and also because his average on balls in play experienced a severe drop, according to FanGraphs.

Taking on Cabrera will mean taking on a reclamation project. But knowing the likely price involved, it's one worth the trouble.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted/linked.  

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