Kuzul

The clock struck midnight, and the deadline for MLB teams to tender contracts passed. Of course, non-tendering doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t return to that club, but often times it’s a good sign that the team, player or both wanted to go in a different direction.

Let’s take a look at some of the players who were non-tendered and where they might catch on.

LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith, Seattle Mariners

The Skinny: 2010 wasn’t a good season for the only player in MLB history with a hyphenated last name. In fact, it was downright miserable. Converted back to a starter midway through 2008, RR-S saw relative success through 2009, thanks in part to Safeco Field being friendly to soft tossing lefties (see: Moyer, Washburn, etc…). 2010 was a disaster that saw an ERA over 6.00, a demotion to AAA Tacoma and a move back to the bullpen.

The Non-Tender: Though Rowland-Smith was unlikely to see much of a raise through arbitration, considering the year he had, he asked for and was granted his release, even though he was offered a major league contract. A fan favorite, a true class act and guy you just want to root for, the Ozzie will be looking for a new team.

The Perfect Fit: Seattle really is the best fit for his skill set and would allow him to stay in a comfort zone. If he does go elsewhere, though, San Diego might be a great fit. It’s a big ballpark. It’s also the National League, so this could be a good rebound spot.

RHP Joel Peralta, Washington Nationals

The Skinny: This is an interesting one. Peralta was one of the Nationals’ best relievers, statistically, in 2010. Unless he punched a baby in the face or something, I can’t figure out why a guy who put up a similar stat line to Rafael Soriano was cut loose. True, he’s 34, and regression is in order—but I just can’t see why he’d be cut loose for nothing.

The Non-Tender: The Nats offered Peralta a one-year deal for around $2 million. He wanted two years as reward for his good season. The Nats must have decided that they’d rather non-tender him than risk a potential reward he may have gotten in arbitration.

The Perfect Fit: Teams are always looking for bargain relievers, so there should be a decent market for him. The Mets could be a team wanting to contend who could use a reliever, and Citi Field should play well for Peralta.

OF Lastings Milledge, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Skinny: Milledge is still only 25, isn’t a good defender and doesn’t hit for much power. About the only thing he may have going for him is some speed and the ability to steal a base. I go back to his age, though. Surely some team will take a chance on him—A minor league deal and maybe a fourth OF/PH/PR bench job.

The Non-Tender: The Pirates likely didn’t want to pay the salary he’d get, even though it’d probably only be in the $1.5 million range.

The Perfect Fit: Not the American League. Perhaps the Cubs or Diamondbacks with their friendly parks could use a young bench player.

LHP J.P. Howell, Tampa Bay Rays

The Skinny: Howell missed the entire 2010 season with a shoulder injury. He’s just 27, though, and put up solid numbers in 2009 including 17 saves.

The Non-Tender: This is expected to just be a payroll move, and by all accounts Howell wants to come back. You have to wonder, though, what he’d think if the right team with the right cash called, if he’d reconsider.

The Perfect Fit: Considering his desire to stay in Tampa, it would probably take a team like the Mets or Giants calling. Teams that can offer him more cash or the incentive to win. The Rays are shedding players and payroll, so they may not be able to offer him either.

C Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Skinny: In the middle part of the past decade, Martin was a young up-and-coming catcher. Good defense with solid offensive potential. Some regressing in 2007 and 2008, then a steep drop-off in 2009 and 2010. He’s had some hip issues, which aren’t good for catchers. His agent claims he’s fine, but that’s his job.

The Non-Tender: The Dodgers appear to be close to re-signing Rod Barajas, so Martin becomes more expendable. The McCourts are still fighting, so budgets will remain tight.

The Perfect Fit: Two places pop into mind. First, rival San Francisco. The Giants obviously have their catcher in Buster Posey, but he’ll need days off. Martin is a few years younger than current backup Eli Whiteside. While Whiteside had a “career year,” it’s a pretty small sample. I’d expect regression for both players but more on the positive side for Martin.

The other would be Seattle. If Adam Moore gets hurt or sent down, the Mariners will want a veteran backup with passable defense and at least some offensive potential. This could be one of Martin’s better hopes for potential playing time.

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A team-by-team review of major and minor happenings, stuffed with turkey leftovers.

The non-tender deadline was Thursday night, which doesn’t always mean a team is cutting ties with a player but can give some insight on their direction.

The hot stove is starting to heat up, as there were some signings too. So let’s review the week, kids.

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ESPN.com is reporting that Adam Dunn, the slugging on-base machine most recently with the Washington Nationals, has signed a four-year $56 million deal to play on the south side of Chicago.

Indications have been that Dunn wants to continue to play the field, but I have to think the White Sox will use him primarily as a DH. This would be a smart move, obviously, as Dunn’s fielding leaves a lot to be desired.

His hitting, however, should play very well at U.S. Cellular Field. Dunn hits for power, and will now call one of the more hitter friendly parks in the game home. Many will point to his strikeouts, but he gets on base at an above average clip while driving in runs.

One interesting thing to note is how similar Dunn’s 2010 was to 2008, both contract years. While he got nothing close to what he thought he was worth after 2008, he seems to have cashed in this time around while having a similar year.

Perhaps Kenny Williams’ desire for a left handed bat with sock contributed to that, or teams are now starting to pay for offense again after a couple off-seasons that saw defense heavily valued. It will be interesting to see how this signing affects other free-agent signings.

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Here’s a fact: The 2010 Mariners were pretty miserable. Aside from the expected contributions from Ichiro, Felix and Gutierrez, the rest was hard to watch. I’m an expert on the subject of how sore this made your eyes, having only missed 10 games this past season (and I thank my lovely girlfriend for those 10 blissful days).

So, what might 2011 bring? Could it get better before it gets worse? Could an improving AL West further bury the Mariners?

Well, by golly, pull up a seat and have a listen.

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Originally, the Mariners were in the clear. Then, they weren’t.

A few days later, Justin Upton’s agents decided to set the record straight and let everyone know that their client’s contract does not bar a trade to Seattle.

Now the question yielded is should the Mariners make a run at him?

Those who lack the short memory of a good closer surely recall the Bill Bavasi era. Trade useful pieces of the future in exchange for trying to win now—the most referenced, of course, being the Erik Bedard fiasco. Send the farm and all our spare baseballs for an oft-injured pitcher.

It’s true that Bedard came with huge risk considering his injuries and time remaining on his contract. What we learned later was that the risk came without much potential for reward. Even if he had pitched 35 games in 2008 and 2009 at top level, his contributions would not have helped a flawed roster. Then, he probably takes off for a big payday.

Our consolation, even under that best case scenario? Draft pick compensation that now has to be developed to replace the near-major league ready talent we shipped out in the first place.

So should the Mariners dare history to repeat itself?

What would the price be to acquire Upton? The Diamondbacks don’t need to trade him, and they very well may not. They are willing to listen, though. Being in that position, you can almost certainly expect the price tag for the Mariners to start with Michael Pineda and one of Justin Smoak or Dustin Ackley.

Pineda is the top-ranked pitching prospect in the organization. Smoak was the prize piece in the Cliff Lee trade. Ackley was the No. 2 overall pick who rocketed through the minors.

Is that price too steep? Which of the position players would you be more willing to give up? Who replaces any of the three when you realize the system has nothing close in the organization at their respective positions? What do we do with Michael Saunders now?

These are all good questions, which may lead many fans to just say “no thanks” and prefer that the team continue to build on the current young foundation. Of course, we all still remember the dizziness after swallowing the Bedard pill.

This pill is quite different, though. Justin Upton is a 23-year-old budding star locked up for several more years at what could be a huge bargain. The risks with a position player are historically far less than those of a pitcher, so Pineda for Upton is a good swap. But you still have to add Smoak or Ackley.

Can the team survive the loss of two of those three? When payroll wiggle room arrives in 2012, your core of Felix Hernandez, Ichiro, Upton, Franklin Gutierrez and Smoak or Ackley gives you a solid foundation to start dipping into free agency. This could be a move to gain long-term value from a player who has already shown he can play at the highest level—and he might get even better.

This won’t end with the pleasant surprise that acquiring Gutierrez in the J.J. Putz deal did, as Upton is already on the map. However, I think we can all rest assured that Jack Zduriencik’s scouting skills will help him make the right decision.

The notoriously close-lipped front office won’t be giving us any hints, but with the winter meetings kicking up next week, keep your eyes and ears peeled. Jack will be going to work.

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