Andy Dirks among 33 players non-tendered, now free agents

Tuesday, December 2nd was the deadline for clubs to tender contract offers to their own players, or allow the players to become free agents immediately.

Thirty-three players were not offered a contract for the 2015 season as of writing, and are now free to sign with any team. Most were eligible for arbitration and were set to make more than their clubs were willing to pay them for the 2015 season. Clubs could be budget conscious, or just making room on the roster for other moves, which may include the Rule 5 draft, scheduled for December 11.

The Toronto Blue Jays, who have a habit of claiming players off waivers and trying to trade them, have non-tendered former Tiger Andy Dirks, along with recently acquired players John Mayberry Jr, and Justin Smoak.

The Tigers have made contract offers to all four of their remaining arbitration eligible players. They picked up Alex Avila's contract option, and tendered contract offers to David Price, Rick Porcello, J.D. Martinez, and Al Alburquerque. They remain under club control and are on track for arbitration. Dirks and Don Kelly were let go shortly after the season.

The Atlanta Braves non-tendered three players. Starting pitchers Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy, as well as pitcher Gus Schlosser are now free agents. Both Medlen and Beachy have been good starting pitchers when healthy, but both missed the 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery. Medlen figures to be the class of the non-tenders this year. He earned $5.8 million in 2014 and figured to make that much in arbitration. If healthy, he could be a bargain for his new team.

The Texas Rangers did not tender a contract to Alexi Ogando, the former All-Star pitcher who is familiar to Tigers fans for his performance in the 2011 American League Championship Series. Ogando has split time between the bullpen, the rotation and the disabled list since that time. Also non-tendered were left handed pitcher Michael Kirkman and infielder Adam Rosales.

The Los Angeles Angels also non-tendered a trio of players. Left-handed pitcher Wade LeBlanc, right-handed pitcher Yoslan Herrera, and former Chicago White Sox infielder Gordon Beckham are all available.

The White Sox have non-tendered pitchers Scott Carroll and Scott Snodgress. Both pitchers were pre-arbitration eligible, and could have been brought back for the major league minimum salary.

The Kansas City Royals have non-tendered left-handed relief pitcher Francisley Bueno, who worked 32 innings in 2014, posting an ERA of 4.18 with an FIP of 3.84. Over 60 innings in his career, Bueno has an ERA of 2.98 and a WHIP of 1.21. He has held left-handed batters to hitting just .217/.252/.278, and won't be eligible for arbitration until 2017, although he is 33 and out of options.

The Oakland Athletics have non-tendered pitcher Andrew Brown and outfielder Kyle Blanks. Brown is a 27 year old former Cleveland Indian who is not yet eligible for arbitration. He posted an ERA of 3.09 in 35 innings of work in 2008, with an FIP of 4.53 and a WHIP of 1.26. That was his last season in the major leagues.

The San Diego Padres have non-tendered shortstop and former stolen bases champion Everth Cabrera. The speedster was suspended for 50 games for use of performance enhancing drugs in 2013. He was selected to the All-Star team that season and hit .283/.355/.381 with 37 steals in 95 games before his suspension. He was later arrested for DUI. At age 28, he is projected to earn $2.9 million in arbitration.

The New York Mets non-tendered speedy outfielder Eric Young, and the Cincinnati Reds have non-tendered right-handed pitchers Logan Ondrusek and Curtis Partch. Left-handed pitcher Wesley Wright and catcher John Baker have been non-tendered by the Cubs.

The Pittsburgh Pirated non-tendered first baseman Gaby Sanchez and pitcher Chaz Roe. The Rockies did not tender a contract to pitcher Kraig Sitton. Slade Heathcott, Jose Campos, and David Huff have all been non-tendered by the New York Yankees

The Boston Red Sox did not tender a contract to third baseman Juan Francisco, who hit 16 home runs for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014, with a batting line of .220/.291/.456. The move was expected, as Boston had designated Francisco for assignment to make room for Hanley Ramirez on the roster.

The Seattle Mariners have non-tendered third baseman Juan Rivero, whom they had just claimed off waivers from the Washington Nationals, and former closer Tom Wilhelmsen. The St. Louis Cardinals non-tendered infielder Daniel Descalso, who has been prominent in the team's recent post season runs.

In a related move, the Dodgers acquired non-tender candidate Chris Heisey from the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Matt Magill. The Dodgers' outfield is now even more crowded, although Heisey does have options left. The club also came to terms with infielder Darwin Barney, avoiding arbitration.