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3 potential non-tender candidates for the SF Giants

By Jeff Young |
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The offseason is underway for the SF Giants and they have already made their first big move of the winter. Soon enough, the Giants will need to determine what they will do with all of their arbitration-eligible players and not everyone is going to return.

3 potential non-tender candidates for the SF Giants

MLB Trade Rumors released its projected salaries for arbitration-eligible players and these figures tend to hold a lot of weight while being really accurate. It indicates that the Giants will have 13 arbitration-eligible players to make a decision on, but Cots suggests that catcher Austin Wynns and Alex Young will be eligible for arbitration this winter. This would bring the total number of arbitration-eligible players for the Giants to 15.

They are not going to keep all 15 of those players, especially after a disappointing season in which the team finished with a 81-81 record. Those changes usually begin by trimming the roster in preparation for free agency.

Players are typically eligible for arbitration in the second-half of their rookie contract and will receive raises through the process if they are tendered a contract. The player's representatives will suggest that they are worth one dollar figure, whereas the team will suggest a different, lower dollar figure. The two parties will usually come to an agreement at the midpoint.

With that being said, it is very much a "what have you done for me lately" process, meaning that those players need to perform to be tendered a contract.

1. Reliever Zack Littell

Of the 13 Giants players listed by MLB Trade Rumors, and 15 players in total, Zack Littell is the most obvious non-tender candidate. That is often the case with middle relievers. You either perform or the team will find someone else who does.

Littell was a very effective bullpen arm last season as he registered a 2.92 ERA in 39 appearances for a Giants team that won 107 games. However, like this year's team, Littell's performance did not carry over into 2022.

The right-handed hurler tallied a 5.08 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 1.37 WHIP, 7.9 K/9, and a 3.00 SO/W ratio across 44.1 innings for the Giants this year. He does not have overpowering stuff and he left too many pitches in the strike zone.

Plus, I would be remiss if I did not mention the heated exchange Littell had with Giants manager Gabe Kapler last month. It is great that he showed a lot of fire on the mound, but the optics of it were not great given his struggles this year.

MLB Trade Rumors is predicting that the right-handed hurler would make $900,000 in his first trip through arbitration. Littell will be out of options in 2023, so he does not have the added appeal of roster flexibility that the front office likes. They will be able to find similar value either in the minors or on a non-guaranteed deal.

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Colorado Rockies v San Francisco Giants / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages

3 potential non-tender candidates for the SF Giants

2. Jharel Cotton

Jharel Cotton did not perform poorly in his brief time with the Giants. Of course, one bad outing can really distort the numbers and that is what happened with the veteran reliever.

The Giants acquired Cotton as a waiver claim from the Minnesota Twins at the end of the season. He had cleared waivers three times in 2022, but the Giants prevented him from clearing a fourth time. Oddly enough, the veteran chose to remain with the Twins organization after each time he cleared.

His overall numbers were not bad at all. In 30 appearances split between the Giants and the Twins, the 30-year-old registered a 3.56 ERA, 4.95 FIP, 1.25 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, and a 1.95 SO/W ratio. This included six earned runs on 11 hits, eight strikeouts, and four walks in five appearances with the Giants down the stretch.

He had one rough outing where he allowed four earned runs in 0.2 frames in a 6-2 loss against the San Diego Padres in the final series of the season. However, that is all that the Giants have to evaluate him and it is probably not enough to tender him a deal for 2023.

MLB Trade Rumors is projecting him to earn $1.1 million through arbitration, which is certainly affordable but the front office should be able to find better value elsewhere. I would not rule out a return on a minor-league deal.

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Arizona Diamondbacks v San Francisco Giants / Lachlan Cunningham/GettyImages

3 potential non-tender candidates for the SF Giants

3. Outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr.

We are sticking with former Twins players as LaMonte Wade Jr. could join both Zack Littell and Jharel Cotton as potential non-tender candidates. Oddly enough, all three had stints with the Twins organization in recent years.

I am on the fence about this one but Wade Jr. is coming off of a disappointing season in 2022. He blasted 18 home runs with an .808 OPS in 381 plate appearances for the Giants in 2021 while taking home the Willie Mac award.

However, he followed that up with a .207/.305/.359 (93 wRC+) with eight home runs, 26 RBI, and 29 runs in 251 plate appearances with the Giants in 2022. He did tally a 10.4 percent walk rate, 20.3 percent strikeout rate, and a .152 ISO, so there were some encouraging trends.

Perhaps, the Giants will see his .233 BABIP this year as a sign of bad luck that will not replicate itself next year. Of course, the Giants cut ties with Alex Dickerson after a similarly bad season in 2021, so there is some precedent for this.

To his credit, Wade Jr. recorded a 111 wRC+ in 218 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, meaning that he gave the Giants the leverage they desire in those matchups. The left-handed bat is projected to earn $1.4 million through arbitration.

The Giants need to remake the outfield next year and bringing the band back together limits the flexibility on what they could do. Wade Jr. had a strong 2021 campaign, but $1.4 million is a lot of money to commit to a role that they could upgrade with either a better left-handed bat or an everyday player.

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