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This year’s non-tender deadline came and went tonight at 7:00 PM CST. The Milwaukee Brewers already announced a one-year deal for Kirk Nieuwenhuis earlier in the day, and we now know that Scooter Gennett has signed a contract for 2017, too, and reportedly will earn $2.525 mil next year. The club also announced that Chris Carter has been non-tendered, meaning the Brewers were unable to trade him and he’ll now become a free agent.
Gennett, who’ll turn 27 next season, has been Milwaukee’s starting second baseman for the better part of the last three and a half years. The left-handed hitter posted a .263/.317/.412 batting line (91 wRC+) with 14 home runs and 8 steals in 2016, bouncing back from a tough season at the plate in 2015. Gennett was projected to make $3 mil in his first run through arbitration by MLB Trade Rumors, so the Brewers will net a $475K savings over that figure. Given the team’s depth in the infield and the fact that Gennett is limited to second base, he still profiles as a logical trade candidate this winter.
The club designated Chris Carter for assignment earlier this week to make space on the roster for free agent signing Eric Thames and had been attempting to find a trade partner over the last several days. Carter batted .222/.321/.499 with an NL-leading 41 home runs (tied with Nolan Arenado) in 2016, but negative contributions on defense and on the base paths limited his overall value. He had been projected for an $8.1 mil salary by MLB Trade Rumors, but Milwaukee could apparently find no takers for Carter at that price and he’ll now hit the open market for the second winter in a row.
No other non-tenders were announced, meaning the Brewers have tendered contracts to other five players eligible for arbitration: Martin Maldonado, Tyler Thornburg, Wily Peralta, Carlos Torres, and Chase Anderson. The club can continue to negotiate with each player and attempt to agree on a 2017 contract, otherwise arbitration hearings will happen in February.
Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs