It should be another eventual day around baseball on Friday.
The non-tender deadline is here and will pass at 7 p.m. CST/ 8 p.m. EST. If you are unfamiliar with the term, the brief description can be found below, straight from the league itself.
If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.
“When a club ‘non-tenders’ a player, it declines to give that player a contract for the upcoming season, thereby immediately making him a free agent,” per the official league website. “Players on the 40-man roster under club control (i.e., players who haven’t reached the requisite six years of Major League service time to be eligible for free agency) who haven’t yet signed contracts for the upcoming season must be tendered contracts by a set deadline or they will be considered ‘non-tendered.’
The Cardinals will be a team to watch on Friday
Jul 19, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher John King (47) throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
“In many instances, a club will non-tender a player because it feels the raise he will receive in arbitration would be greater than his on-field value. In other cases, a club will non-tender a player simply to clear a spot on the 40-man roster — even if that player isn’t due much more than the league minimum the following season.”
So, how does this impact the St. Louis Cardinals? MLB Trade Rumors’ Anthony Franco floated John King as a non-tender candidate.
“Left-Handed Relievers: Keegan Akin (Orioles): $3MM, Anthony Banda (Dodgers): $1.7MM, José Castillo (Mets): $1.7MM, Sam Hentges (Guardians): $1.3375MM, John King (Cardinals): $2.1MM, Joey Lucchesi (Giants): $2MM, Sam Moll (Reds): $1.2MM, Andrew Nardi (Marlins): $800K, A.J. Puk, (Diamondbacks): $3.3MM — expected to miss most of 2026 after undergoing elbow surgery in June, and Tayler Saucedo (Mariners): $1.1MM.”
King logged a 4.66 ERA and 28-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 48 1/3 innings pitched in 51 appearances in 2025. He was much better in 2024 with a 2.85 ERA in 56 outings.
He came over in the Jordan Montgomery deal with the Texas Rangers back in 2023 and now is projected to get a tough over $2 million, per MLB Trade Rumors. Non-tendering the 31-year-old would be an easy way to save some cash right now.
More MLB: New Brendan Donovan Report Good News For Cardinals