Dodgers: Potential Non-Tender Candidates for Los Angeles

With the off-season upon us, the Dodgers will have some roster decisions to make in the very near future. Here is a look at some players that can and might be non-tendered.

For those wondering, non-tendering a player is essentially like releasing them. Players on the 40-man roster with less than 6 years of MLB service must be tendered a contract.

The Dodgers have over a dozen players on their 40-man roster in this situation.

Before going into who might be non-tendered, let’s look at which players the Dodgers will definitely retain. The reigning NL MVP Cody Bellinger is not going to be losing any sleep about being non-tendered.

Max Muncy, Corey Seager, Julio Urias, and Joc Pederson should also not even be worried. Enrique Hernandez, Pedro Baez, Chris Taylor, and Ross Stripling have a minuscule shot of being non-tendered. They are extremely safe but aren’t quite as safe as the names above them. If either of them gets non-tendered it would be absolutely shocking.

All the young kids like Gavin Lux, Alex Verdugo, Walker Buehler, etc. who are in pre-arbitration are safe. That leaves these players who are on the “hot seat”.

Players like Scott Alexander and Dylan Floro both have options left so they can begin the season in the minors and are less likely to be non-tendered because of this. However, if the Dodgers non-tender them it would not be all the surprising because of their woeful performances as of late.

We also have Casey Sadler. He is all out of options. However, I expect him to be safe because he should secure a spot in the bullpen by opening day thanks to his strong showing last season.

Austin Barnes

Barnes is up for arbitration this season and is projected to make around 1.3-1.5 million according to several different websites. If he were to be non-tendered, it would not be to save money.

Barnes is all out of options. Meaning if he is going to be on the team, he has to be apart of the 26-man roster. Barnes had a disaster of a season in 2019.

The fact that the Dodgers have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to catching prospects, makes his struggle that more troubling for his future on the team.

With the return of Russell Martin, that only muddies the waters even more for Barnes. Unless the Dodgers plan on using that extra roster spot to carry a third catcher, Barnes will likely be the odd man out.

So rather than offering him a contract just to place him on waivers, the Dodger may just decide to non-tender him and open up a roster spot for a potential free-agent.

JT Chargois

Much like White, he Chargois also in pre-arbitration and out of options. It is hard to see him make the opening day roster without an injury occurring. Chargois is in a tough spot with the Dodgers. His woeful 2019 coupled with injury history could see him become non-tendered.

Yimi Garcia

Garcia is also up for arbitration. According to mlbtraderumors.com, he is due to make 1.1 million. His stuff has never been the question. Garcia has elite stuff. However, consistency has been a MAJOR issue with Yimi.

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This is why Garcia could be a candidate. That paired with the fact that he is out of options, could spell the end of Garcia’s tenure with the Dodgers. Garcia has had his ups and downs with the team and with some consistency he could be a solid bullpen arm

The problem is, he has worn out his welcome in Los Angeles. If the Dodgers don’t see him making the roster in 2020, they may go ahead and non-tender Yimi Garcia. This would be a real shame considering the pure talent Garcia has shown.

Tyler White 

White is in the rare position of being a player in pre-arbitration, yet still, be a candidate to be non-tendered. White was acquired from the Astros in 2019. He played in some games with the Dodgers, but his season ended abruptly after being put on the IL.

White could be a solid utility player. But with the amount of utility depth the Dodgers already have, White may not have a spot on the opening day roster. Since he is all out of options, he will need to be on the opening day roster or placed on waivers.

These four players all have value in their own right. However, their future with the Dodgers is in question. With the 40-man roster full, the Dodgers will need to create space if they sign a free agent. The four players listed above are all candidates to be the ones that are moved off of the 40-man roster to create space.