Another important baseball offseason deadline has passed. Teams had until Friday at 8 p.m. ET to tender contracts to all their players, including those eligible for arbitration. In recent years, as teams have gotten better at managing their rosters, fewer and fewer quality talents have shaken loose.
Even so, let's take a look at nine of the most notable players trimmed from rosters.
Remember when Matt Adams' hot start to his Braves career forced Freddie Freeman to third base? He finished the year hitting .274/.319/.522 overall -- numbers resulting in a 117 OPS+, the second-best of his career. Why was he shunned? Because he doesn't fit the roster. Adams is best deployed as a platoon first baseman or DH. The market is loaded with those types, but Adams should find a fit on an American League roster.
A rough 2017 saw Mike Fiers post a 5.22 ERA and allow nearly two home runs per nine. The Astros decided that was enough, punting his two remaining years of team control. He's shown in the past he can be a tolerable option two times through the order thanks to his deceptive, high-three-quarters release point and slow, biting curveball. That should be enough to land Fiers a back-end gig.
You have to feel bad for Jared Hughes. He was released right before the season began despite entering the year with a career 2.82 ERA, went on to have a good season with the Brewers -- he posted his highest strikeout-to-walk ratio since 2012 -- then gets non-tendered for his effort. Hughes' best attribute is his ability to get groundballs. His worst? An inability to consistently retire left-handed batters. Sounds like a middle reliever.
For years, Tom Koehler tried turning his John Lackey-like body and arsenal into a Lackey-like performance as a starting pitcher. He never could. Late last year, the Blue Jays acquired Koehler and moved him to the bullpen, where he pitched better over 17 innings. Alas, Toronto didn't seem inspired enough by Koehler's K rate (greater than one per inning) or improved control -- not enough to keep him around, anyway. Expect some other team to try Koehler in their bullpen, and don't be surprised if it turns out to be a value deal.
T.J. McFarland has held lefties to a sub-.600 OPS in two of the past three seasons behind the strength of his sinker-slider combination. That's worth noting because he's historically been used as more of a multi-inning, low-leverage pitcher who has never faced so much as half left-handed batters. A team looking for a cheap LOOGY could do worse. Then again, a team looking for a cheap LOOGY might be able to do better in this market, too.
A few years ago, Bruce Rondon was held as the Tigers' closer of the future. That future never came, and his Detroit career ended with a 5.00 ERA. More worrisome for someone who made their name off throwing the ball hard is that his velocity has slipped. Rondon's fastball sat at 96.9 mph in 2017 -- that's still quick, no doubt, but it's down more than a full tick from his 2016 figure, and nearly six from his debut season in 2012. Given how wild Rondon remains (he walked 10 batters in 15 2/3 innings), it's hard to see him surviving for long if his velocity bleed continues.
Another reliever named Rondon, Hector Rondon has enjoyed big-league success. In fact, the former Rule 5 pick is sporting a career 3.22 ERA and 3.65 strikeout-to-walk ratio, as well as 77 saves. (Wade Davis, widely considered the best closer on the open market, has 79 career saves.) Rondon has struggled with his health and with keeping the ball in the park in recent times, but his upper-90s fastball and swing-and-miss slider should gift him late-inning reps elsewhere.
There was a time when Shae Simmons looked like a mini-Craig Kimbrel. He's had a whale of a time staying healthy, however, and as a result has tossed just 14 innings since 2015. A hearty and hale Simmons profiles as a setup man. There's just no telling if he'll ever stay on the mound long enough to contribute to his full potential. Someone will find out for themselves.
Formerly an effective mid-rotation starter, Drew Smyly missed 2017 following June Tommy John surgery. With teams opting for a more conservative approach these days, it seems unlikely he'll be back in time to have a real impact in 2018, either. Still, Smyly will probably sign a one-year deal with a club option for a second, with the understanding that it's all about that second year.
