3 recently non-tendered players Yankees should sign immediately

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The New York Yankees, against all odds, actually did some significant work at Friday's non-tender deadline.

After filling their 40-man roster to the brim, thanks to the additions of Clayton Beeter and Agustin Ramírez on Tuesday, New York trimmed things back to 36, finding a taker for Jake Bauers on the trade market before declining to offer new contracts to Albert Abreu, Lou Trivino and Anthony Misiewicz.

Trivino was no surprise; his Tommy John rehab will knock him out for the bulk of 2024, his final season before free agency. Misiewicz was surprising, though only because most fans forgot he was even eligible/had survived the initial roster purge that resulted in the likes of Domingo Germán and Jimmy Cordero being tossed to the wolves. Abreu? Losing him was downright shocking, considering how often the Yankees have inexplicably faught to get his 99 MPH nothingball back. In 1974, Abreu would be the game's most dominant hurler. 2023? Avoid the center of the plate, beloved.

Letting four players seek greener pastures -- especially Bauers, who had an .800+ OPS for portions of 2023 and could've been retained as a depth piece -- sure seems like an indication the Yankees plan to meaningfully upgrade (or, at least, turn over) their roster this winter. They could start almost immediately, first sifting through the list of players that other franchises rejected on Friday to find some hidden gems.

One discarded name stands out among the rest -- and we'll get to that -- but there are several solid fits for the Yankees' new-look 2024 roster who became free agents against their will this week.

3 recently non-tendered new free agents Yankees should pursue

Adam Cimber, RHP

If it feels like Cimber has been a stone-cold killer within the Yankees' division for years, it's because that's more than just a feeling. Excepting 2023, the 33-year-old proto-submariner has been as nasty as it gets since joining the AL East with the Toronto Blue Jays, posting ERAs of 1.69 during the 2021 season's second half and 2.80 in 77 games in 2022 (with an un-reliever-like 10-6 record).

In 2023, things fell apart, as yelling, "Cimber!" meant he was plummeting to the earth. His ERA ballooned to 7.40 in 22 first-half games; a shoulder strain felled him for the season in mid-June.

Maybe Cimber hit a career wall. Maybe the age of 32 marked the end of his effectiveness. Or, far more likely, he battled shoulder issues during the season's first two and a half months, was never right, and finally called it. The Jays had no interest in absorbing Cimber's escalating cost, which would surely have included a raise on the $3.15 million he made last season entering his final year of arbitration ability. The Yankees should flex their muscles and mock the Blue Jays' thriftiness here. Whether the gambit works or not, that's a small price to pay for a proven AL East competitor.

Austin Meadows, OF

We've long coveted Austin Meadows as an athletic, lefty-swinging outfielder with bounce back potential, though he had far more serious things dogging him in 2023 than your typical bumps and bruises.

Meadows last made the All-Star team in 2019, and, predictably, his Tigers tenure has involved less smooth sailing than his time in Tampa. In 2022, Meadows hit the Injured List with a troubling bout of vertigo, and later missed time during a COVID-19 battle. Last season, his career hit a nadir; he was placed on the IL while battling anxiety issues, and ultimately missed the remainder of the season, logging just 21 at-bats before being non-tendered.

Signing Meadows wouldn't be without risk -- but what recently non-tendered player comes risk-free? If the Yankees receive nothing out of the ex-Ray, that would be par for the course in their constant search for outfield help. But if they're able to harness anything approximating what led to Meadows' 14th and 20th-place MVP seasons in 2019 and 2021, it could be an exceptional bargain.

Brandon Woodruff, RHP

Woodruff is the unmatched prize of the non-tender market. He will be signed by any number of currently gathered teams, and it will happen soon.

The powerhouse ex-Brewer reportedly believes he will be able to contribute in the second half of 2024 following postseason shoulder surgery, but it seems more likely, from an outside perspective, that he will miss the whole season. That is why, instead of tendering him a pricey $12 million deal for 2024 on the oft chance he was able to return for a competitive Brewers team, Milwaukee let him go. The injury torpedoed both Woodruff's campaign and his previous team's leverage. The Brew Crew were already in cost-cutting mode exploring trades. Woodruff's injury took a key asset off their board, and now has an ironic mob clamoring for the services of someone who likely cannot appear for a calendar year.

Whichever team nabs Woodruff next will be extending a two-year offer to him so he can rehab on their dime in 2024 and come back healthy for the following season. Baking in the $12 million he was due for an absent season, that contract would probably be in the $20-22 million range. That's well worth it for a team like the Yankees seeking ace production down the line. It's well worth it for, as we said earlier, any number of teams ranging from the inner circle of contention to the fringes. Expect the big-spending Cubs to be interested. The Craig Breslow Red Sox should be all over this. The analytically-inclined Orioles. None of baseball's smartest teams will miss a beat here. The Yankees can't afford to sit this conversation out -- even if Woodruff looks odd clean-shaven.

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