Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

The non-tender deadline is usually just another day in the offseason calendar. Teams tender contract offers to their pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players, if no offer is tendered by the 8:00 p.m. deadline, those players become free agents.

Yet this year there is certainly a different buzz around the non-tender deadline, due to the uncertainty of what today will bring. There is potential for some really good players to become free agents before anyone expected, as teams around baseball are looking to offset pandemic-related losses by cutting payroll.

If you are interested in a list of all the potential players that could be non-tendered, check out this list that MLB Trade Rumors has compiled. Going based off that list, here are some players that could interest the Mets if they ultimately become free agents.

Honorable Mentions

While neither player fills a need for the Mets, Eddie Rosario and Tommy Pham are both listed by MLB Trade Rumors as non-tender candidates despite their prolific offensive careers.

On Tuesday, Rosario was put on outright waivers by the Twins, so any team has the chance to claim him and his projected $9.6 million salary. If he clears waivers, Rosario will likely be non-tendered unless he accepts a deal with Minnesota for less money.

Pham on the other hand could remain with the San Diego Padres, although he had a very disappointing season with them in 2020. Still, he has a career .832 OPS and is a strong candidate to have a bounce back campaign in 2021.

Cubs Castoffs

The Kris Bryant pipe-dream does not appear to be in the works, as reports have indicated that the 2016 MVP will be tendered a contract by the Cubs. Although he could still be on trade block, as he is a year away from free agency.

While Bryant is likely to stay put for now, there are a pair of Cubs outfielders that are non-tender candidates, as Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr. may be let go.

Schwarber is coming off a rough 2020 campaign, in which he hit just .188/.308/.393, with 11 home runs and 24 RBI. The 27-year-old former catcher has never quite found a position after moving away from the backstop in 2016 and is just a year removed from free agency. Chicago may be looking to cut bait from Schwarber now, since he is projected to make north of $7 million next season.

Still, this is a slugger that hit 38 home runs in 2019 and will likely have quite a substantial market if he hits free agency. Considering his lack of defensive prowess, Schwarber doesn’t make much sense for the Mets unless the universal DH returns in 2021.

Almora Jr. does make some sense for the Mets however, as he fills a position of need in center field. Almora is only projected to make $1.575 million through his second year of arbitration according to MLB Trade Rumors. But since he barely played for the Cubs in 2020, recording just 30 at-bats, they make look to let him go.

While he has struggled over the last two years, the 26-year-old still carries a career .271/.309/.398 slash-line. He was also worth 13 OAA over his last two full seasons in 2018 and 2019.

Bolstering the Backstop

Let’s just take a look at the list of catchers that MLB Trade Rumors has as non-tender candidates ahead of the deadline.

The biggest name there is obviously Gary Sanchez, as he is just a year removed from making his second All-Star appearance. On the surface it would be stunning for the Yankees to non-tender Sanchez, considering all of the hype he carried early on in his career.

But Sanchez is coming off an awful season where he looked absolutely lost at the plate, hitting just .147/.253/.365. If the Yankees plan to invest in the free agent market at catcher with either J.T. Realmuto or James McCann, maybe they will just give up on Sanchez and reinvest his salary.

The Mets could take a flier on Sanchez, gambling on his offensive upside while also retaining two years of team control. Then again, his longstanding defensive struggles may not be attractive to a Mets team that would like to improve after two years of Wilson Ramos as their starting catcher.

Curt Casali and Austin Hedges are both above-average pitch framers that could make sense for New York if they want to add another defensive catcher to their roster.

Improving the Infield

While Robinson Cano‘s suspension opened up a lot of avenues for the Mets to make additions offensively, they did lose a big contributor to their 2020 infield.

Jeff McNeil could easily slid back into second base to fill that void, although that would require someone to take his place out in left field. Andres Gimenez and Luis Guillorme are also in line to get more playing time, but the Mets could always add another infielder to replace that lost production.

Baltimore’s Hanser Alberto is a utility infielder that could intrigue the Mets if non-tendered, as he hit .299/.322/.413 across his last two seasons with the Orioles. Alberto does not pack much power or an elite glove, but he can play three positions and hit for a high average.

Orlando Arcia and Niko Goodrum are a pair of former top prospects that have struggled to find their footing at the big league level. Either player could benefit from a change of scenery.

Finally Johan Camargo could be the most intriguing of the infield non-tender candidates, as the Mets could look to rejuvenate his career after a few down years in Atlanta.

Camargo looked to be a future cornerstone for the Braves in 2018, when he hit .272/.349/.457, with a .806 OPS and a 115 OPS+. Then after his breakout campaign, Atlanta signed Josh Donaldson and pushed Camargo into a super utility role, which seems to have derailed his career.

The soon-to-be 27-year-old was worth 2 OAA at both second and third base this season and still has three years of team control left. Projected to make just $1.9 million through arbitration, Atlanta may just hang on to Camargo, but his diminishing role opens the door for him to be non-tendered.

Pitching Depth

This is likely the market the Mets will have their eyes fixed on today, as there are so many different names that could shake loose.

Tyler Anderson, Jon Gray and Yonny Chirinos could all be made available, giving the Mets more options in a starting pitching market that has been quite active in the early offseason.

Shawn Armstrong, Matt Barnes and Scott Alexander are a few of the relief pitchers that MLB Trade Rumors mentions who could be of some interest for the Mets.

There are certainly going to be a number of arms that become available at the non-tender deadline, as team’s will be looking to pare down their rosters and potentially make room for cheaper internal options from their farm systems.

Overall, the excitement that exists for Mets fans going into this day all goes back to Steve Cohen and the increased financial flexibility he has brought to the team. The Mets are expected to be aggressive this offseason and there are sure to be plenty of good players added to that pool of free agents today who will be intriguing to New York.

Make sure to follow our coverage of all the non-tender news throughout the day, as we will keep you posted on everything that takes place as it pertain to the Mets.