Chicago Cubs: Looking at the notable non-tenders from Friday’s deadline

The Chicago Cubs non-tendered a trio of players Friday, but there were some far more notable names hitting the market around the league after the deadline.

All eyes were on the Chicago Cubs and infielder Addison Russell ahead of Friday’s non-tender deadline. Of course, as we know now, the organization opted to keep Russell in the fold – at least for now – tendering him a contract for the upcoming 2019 season.

But while the Cubs moved forward with their shortstop, several other organizations decided it was time to go in different directions with mainstays in their respective lineups. None of the names who will now hit the market are complete game-changers, but the middle-tier of the free agent class is undoubtedly deeper than it was this time Friday morning.

Will any of these names make sense for Chicago? Maybe. But even if they don’t, it’s important to take stock of who’s on the market now – because, as we know, the balance of power in baseball could look quite different by the time Opening Day 2019 rolls around given this year’s free agent class and a Hot Stove that’s gotten quite toasty in the last week or so.