12 intriguing players join free-agent pool

Friday at 5 p.m. ET marked the deadline for teams to tender a contract for 2026 to players under club control who had not already signed contracts for the upcoming season.

Sixty-six players were “non-tendered,” meaning they are now free agents and then can sign with any team.

Here are 12 of the more interesting players who joined the free-agent pool following Friday's deadline.

Adolis García, OF, Rangers
García will always hold a special place in Rangers history for what he did during the team’s run to the 2023 World Series title, recording eight homers with 22 RBIs (an MLB postseason record) and a 1.108 OPS in those playoffs. He also put up 39 homers, 107 RBIs and an .836 OPS in the regular season that year, winning a Gold Glove Award for good measure. However, García’s downfall has been swift -- he had a .684 OPS in 2024 and was even worse in ’25 (.665).

MJ Melendez, OF, Royals
Melendez was once a highly touted catching prospect, but the presence of veteran backstop Salvador Perez in Kansas City and Melendez’s own defensive struggles behind the plate as a rookie prompted the Royals to move the Florida native to the outfield full time. His fielding woes have continued after the position switch, and he hasn't hit enough to offset his lack of defensive value. Melendez did record at least 16 homers and 21 doubles in each of his first three seasons, but he is a lifetime .215/.297/.388 hitter with a 90 OPS+. He spent most of 2025 playing for Triple-A Omaha.

Evan Phillips, RP, Dodgers
After a partially torn rotator cuff stalled Phillips’ scoreless 2024 playoff run and forced him to miss the World Series, the righty dealt with further injury issues in ’25. He underwent Tommy John surgery in May and will miss the start of 2026. Still, we can’t forget how effective he was for the Dodgers across 2022-24, recording a 2.21 ERA with a 10.4 K/9, a 2.3 BB/9 and 44 saves.

Jonah Heim, C, Rangers
Heim was an integral part of the Rangers’ World Series championship club in 2023, combining a solid bat (18 HR, 107 OPS+) with elite defense en route to a 4.0-WAR regular season (per FanGraphs). But in the two years since, the catcher has been worth -0.6 fWAR, declining on both sides of the ball.

Nathaniel Lowe, 1B, Red Sox
Boston picked up the veteran first baseman in August after Lowe was released by the Nationals. Traded away by the Rangers last offseason for lefty reliever Robert Garcia, Lowe hit .280 with a .790 OPS for the Red Sox in limited action, but his full-season OPS was a career-low .689. He won the 2022 AL Gold Glove and the 2023 AL Silver Slugger at first base.

Alek Manoah, RHP, Braves
Manoah had a brilliant sophomore season with the Blue Jays in 2022, posting a 2.24 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 196 2/3 innings and finishing third in AL Cy Young voting. But he was optioned to the Minor Leagues during a frustrating 2023 and tore his UCL in May 2024. Manoah made several rehab starts toward the end of 2025 before being designated for assignment and claimed on waivers by Atlanta.

Christopher Morel, OF, Rays
Morel was impressive during his first two seasons with the Cubs -- particularly his sophomore campaign in 2023, when he slugged 26 homers in 107 games and posted an .821 OPS. But his performance declined over the previous two years, with Morel batting just .204 with a .651 OPS and a 29.3% strikeout rate. His poor glove and lack of a permanent defensive position didn’t help matters.

JJ Bleday, OF, Athletics
The fourth overall pick in the 2019 Draft, Bleday batted just .212 with a .698 OPS in 2025, his third year with the A’s. The center fielder had a solid 2024 (.762 OPS, 20 home runs), but his poor glove and his offensive down season prompted the A’s to move on.

Ramón Urías, INF, Astros
The Astros picked up Urías from the Orioles at the Trade Deadline, but the versatile infielder batted just .223 with a .640 OPS after joining Houston. Urías’ best season came in 2022, when he hit 16 homers, put up a .720 OPS and won the AL Gold Glove at third base for Baltimore. He was still an effective player in 2025, totaling 2.2 bWAR between his two clubs.

Mike Tauchman, OF, White Sox
After being non-tendered last fall by the Cubs, Tauchman signed with the crosstown White Sox, where he turned in his best offensive year since an impressive 2019 with the Yankees. The left-handed corner outfielder hit .263 with nine homers and a .756 OPS, walking a solid 11.7% of the time.

Mark Leiter Jr., RHP, Yankees
Leiter posted a 3.85 ERA in three seasons with the Cubs, primarily as a high-leverage reliever. But he didn’t fare as well after being dealt to the Yankees at the 2024 Trade Deadline, owning a 4.89 ERA during his tenure with the Bronx Bombers.

Jake Fraley, OF, Rays
Claimed by Tampa Bay off waivers from Atlanta in early November, Fraley played for the Reds for four seasons before a nine-game spell with the Braves at the end of 2025. The outfielder has spent time on the injured list for seven different maladies since the start of 2022, but he can play all three outfield positions and owns a career .248 average and .735 OPS.