The first tender decisions is reportedly in, and it’s one we were expecting: Jose Martinez is out.
The Cubs picked up the (theoretical) righty slugger at the trade deadline for second base prospect Pedro Martinez and cash, but Martinez’s downward trend line accelerated with the Cubs – he did not manage a hit – and when you factor in uncertainty about the DH, a non-tender was always coming.
Clubs starting to inform players. Per source: Cubs Jose Martinez has been non tendered. Came over from TB midseason but struggled. He's a FA.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) December 2, 2020
Martinez, 32, hits free agency and will probably have to wait a bit before he gets any bites. Teams will want to know the state of the DH, and from there, it’s possible he might have to take a minor league deal and show he can still hit in Spring Training.
It’s quite a bummer this didn’t turn out better, because there was a version of this trade that netted the Cubs a nice, inexpensive right-handed DH option for 2021. No dice.