While the vast majority of these players seem likely to sign minor league pacts this winter — they did, after all, go unclaimed by 29 other teams on waivers — a number of them are still intriguing with recent success in their past and/or multiple years of arbitration eligibility remaining. Eddy’s rundown also contains a number of re-signed minor leaguers and released minor leaguers without big league experience as well as Arizona Fall League assignments on a per-team basis, so it’s well worth a full look.

We’ve updated our list of 2017-18 MLB free agents accordingly, and here are some of the new names now checking in on the list…

Depth options in the rotation

Josh Collmenter, Asher Wojciechowski, Drew Hutchison, Jeff Locke, Kyle Kendrick, Mike Bolsinger, Christian Bergman, David Holmberg

Collmenter is just two seasons removed from being the D-backs Opening Day starter but hasn’t had much success of late. Hutchison had solid Triple-A numbers and once looked like a long-term rotation piece in Toronto before Tommy John surgery. He can be controlled for another three seasons in arbitration. Locke was injured for most of an ugly first (and likely only) season in Miami, and Kendrick made just two starts for the Red Sox.

Wojciechowski (6.50 ERA in 62 1/3 innings with the Reds), Bolsinger (6.31 ERA in 41 1/3 innings with the Jays), Bergman (5.00 ERA in 54 innings with the Mariners) and Holmberg (4.68 ERA in 57 2/3 innings with the White Sox) all soaked up innings for injury-plagued pitching staffs. Bolsinger has had the most MLB experience of the bunch.

Corner Bats

Scott Van Slyke, Tyler Moore, Cody Asche, Conor Gillaspie, Jaff Decker

Van Slyke has long been a solid bat against left-handed pitching but appeared in just 29 games with the Dodgers and didn’t hit well with their Triple-A affiliate or with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate. (He was included in the Tony Cingrani trade to balance out the financial side of the deal.) Moore, also a right-handed bat, showed power but struggled to get on base.

Once one of the Phillies’ top prospects, Asche hit well in Triple-A Charlotte but flopped in a brief stint with the ChiSox. Gillaspie was unable to replicate his 2016 rebound with the Giants, while Decker showed some on-base skills in the Majors and minors but didn’t hit much overall. (He can play center but hasn’t graded well there in the Majors.)

Utility Infielders

Ruben Tejada, Phil Gosselin, Dusty Coleman, Chase d’Arnaud

Each of the four can play all over the diamond, but none provided offensive value in 2017. Tejada has the most big league experience but hasn’t received much playing time since 2015 (and hasn’t performed well when he has gotten opportunities). Gosselin has a solid defensive reputation but a light bat through 551 MLB PAs. Coleman hit four homers in 71 PAs in his MLB debut this year but logged a .268 OBP. d’Arnaud saw his fair share of 2016 action with the Braves but has never produced much at the plate.

Bullpen options

Kevin Siegrist (L), Josh Edgin (L), Seth Maness, Kevin Quackenbush

Siegrist and Edgin are intriguing names for clubs in need of left-handed bullpen help. Both have recent success on their track records, though Edgin wasn’t as sharp in 2017 as he was prior to 2015 Tommy John surgery. Siegrist’s control eroded in 2017 as he missed time due to a back/spinal injury and tendinitis in his left forearm, but he was one of the Cardinals’ top setup options in both 2015 and 2016. Both lefties are controllable through 2019.

Maness drew headlines for returning from a torn UCL in roughly seven months thanks to an experimental new “primary repair” procedure, but while he stayed healthy in 2017, the results weren’t great in the Majors and especially not in Triple-A (6.13 ERA in 47 innings). Quackenbush was excellent as a rookie in 2014 and solid in 2015-16 before imploding in 2017 (7.86 ERA in 26 1/3 innings). He was better but not great in Triple-A (3.90 ERA, 7.8 K/9, 2.9 BB/9). Maness could be controlled through 2019, while Quackenbush would have three more years of control.

Kendrick, 32, was previously optioned after making two rough starts at the major league level for Boston. He consented to that move and evidently wishes to continue on with the organization despite now losing his 40-man spot. It’s not yet known what the team will do with the new roster opening.

Over 54 2/3 innings through nine starts at Triple-A, Kendrick owns a 5.93 ERA with 6.1 K/9 against 1.3 BB/9. His most recent substantial work at the MLB level came with the Rockies in 2015, when he turned in 142 1/3 frames of 6.32 ERA ball.

Kendrick, 32, has been hit hard in two outings for the Red Sox. Lasting just 8 1/3 innings, the righty has surrendered a dozen earned runs on 18 hits while recording just three strikeouts and issuing three walks. While he showed well in spring camp, that hasn’t carried over to the regular season. Kendrick also carries a 6.00 ERA through four starts at Triple-A.

With a need for relief pitching, the club had little recourse but to make a change. Boston has brought Robbie Ross Jr. back up to take Kendrick’s spot on the active roster. As manager John Farrell explained, an upcoming off-day buys the club some time to make rotation plans.

Given that the Red Sox kept Kendrick on the 40-man roster, rather than designating him for assignment, it seems he’ll remain an option moving forward. But the club could also elect to recall one of the 40-man starters currently working at Pawtucket while it continues to wait for David Price, who is nearing a return to the majors..

Lefties Henry Owens and Brian Johnson have both generated good results thus far, though both are carrying typical peripherals. Right-hander Hector Velazquez is pitching quite well, with just three earned runs on 11 hits over his 22 frames, though he’s not on the 40-man roster. Regardless, Boston will hope that whoever does eventually come up is only needed to keep the seat warm for Price.

Kendrick, 32, hasn’t seen the majors since a woeful stint with the Rockies two seasons ago. But he is the clear veteran option for the organization, which was already missing David Price from its rotation when Steven Wright went down to a knee injury.

It’s not yet clear just how long Wright will be out. But he is said to be seeing a specialist for a second opinion on the knee, as Evan Drellich of CSNNE.com tweets, which could at least hint there’s some potential consideration of a surgical option of some kind.

Though Kendrick hasn’t fared well thus far at Triple-A, with a 6.00 ERA over 27 innings, he does carry a solid-enough mix of 6.7 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9. The less-experienced alternatives — Brian Johnson and Henry Owens — have outperformed Kendrick and already have 40-man spots, but Boston evidently would prefer to see them continue refining their work in the upper minors.

9:59am: Red Sox righty Tyler Thornburg is likely to open the season on the disabled list after an “upper right trapezius spasm” prevented him from taking the mound yesterday, as Ian Browne of MLB.com was among those to report on Twitter.

It’s not clear that the trap issue is a significant one; far from it, in fact. But he will go for an MRI, per Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). Even if it turns out to be a blip, though, a DL stint seems the likely result. Thornburg has been slowed throughout camp as his shoulder strength has failed to catch up to speed.

With the anticipated absence from Thornburg, and without a clear indication to when he might be able to return, the back of the Boston relief corps seems noticeably less potent than had been expected. Still, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski says he believes there’s sufficient depth on hand, as Mastrodonato reports.

“Well, I think we’re fine,” Dombrowski said. “Some guys have to step up is what it comes down to. You go through these type of things in any particular year. I’ve done it every year in my career.”

With uncertainty also best describing the current status of key lefty David Price, though, Boston’s pitching depth chart will be tested early. The club did announce that it sent veteran righty Kyle Kendrick to minor-league camp this morning, which suggests Drew Pomeranz will be ready to join the rotation. But it still seems possible the organization will look to make a depth move of some kind with roster churn happening around the league.

“That’s ongoing,” says Farrell of the Red Sox’ efforts to find pitching. “Our efforts haven’t picked up just because of recent developments. It’s always been there.”

Price is dealing with an elbow strain and will meet with a team physician tomorrow. Pomeranz’s velocity is not up to his usual standards as he returns from a triceps injury, and the Red Sox pulled him from his start for precautionary reasons yesterday.

Farrell echoes earlier comments from Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who said that the Red Sox had difficulty luring depth starters during the offseason because their rotation was perceived to be well stocked. One depth veteran, Kyle Kendrick, will start for the Red Sox today and could be important to their short-term plans. Kendrick has not appeared in the big leagues since 2015, when he was with the Rockies, although he’s fared well so far this spring. Farrell also names Henry Owens and Brian Johnson as healthy pitchers who could potentially help if they could be more consistent.

Should the Red Sox acquire a starter from outside, the current list of free agents includes Jake Peavy (who is dealing with personal issues), Doug Fister, Colby Lewis, Edwin Jackson and Jerome Williams. Other players currently in camp on non-roster invites could soon become available if they don’t make the rosters of their current teams. The Red Sox could, of course, also look to make a trade, perhaps near the end of camp as teams finalize their rosters.

• The Cardinals may have some interest in Derek Norris.  St. Louis currently has Eric Fryer penciled into the backup catcher role, with prospect Carson Kelly waiting in the wings at Triple-A.  Norris has received interest from multiple teams (including the Rays) since being released by the Nationals earlier this week, so he could prefer to sign somewhere that can offer him a clearer shot at a starting job, rather than settling for a role as Yadier Molina’s understudy.
• According to scouts Cafardo has spoken to, Norris would be best served by avoiding the Cardinals and other NL teams in order to stay in the American League.  The general consensus among Cafardo’s sources is that Norris isn’t much of a defender, so playing for an AL team would allow him to take the field as a DH.  The scouts do praise Norris’ work ethic and leadership abilities, on the plus side.
• The Marlins are looking for third base help in the wake of Martin Prado’s hamstring injury, and Cafardo suggests that Brett Lawrie could be a fit.  There isn’t any suggestion that Miami is specifically targeting Lawrie, though it makes sense that the team is doing its due diligence on third base options.  Prado is undergoing an MRI today to determine the severity of his hamstring issue.  Lawrie isn’t healthy himself, as he is looking to fully recover from a lower-body injury before signing a new contract.  The Marlins already have the left-handed hitting Derek Dietrich to fill in at third, so if the team did need depth in the event of an extended DL stint for Prado, a righty bat like Lawrie would make sense for platoon purposes (though utilityman Miguel Rojas is also on hand).
• Along with his previously reported June 15 opt-out date, Red Sox right-hander Kyle Kendrick will also have a chance to exit his contract Aug. 15.  Kendrick signed a minor league deal in January, but he has since become a legitimate contender to serve as the Red Sox’s sixth starter at the outset of the season. The 32-year-old last pitched in the majors in 2015, when he started in all 27 of his appearances with the Rockies and logged an ugly 6.32 ERA in 142 1/3 innings.

More from the American League:

• Beane also revealed Friday that the Athletics aren’t going to react to right-hander Sonny Gray’s lat strain by attempting to acquire pitching. Rather, Beane’s confident in the depth the A’s have on hand. “I don’t think it’s necessarily a fertile market to be diving into right now anyway this time of year,” he said. “I think we prefer to stay in-house and give maybe somebody an opportunity.” Kendall Graveman, Sean Manaea and Jharel Cotton are set to comprise the A’s top three starters in a temporarily Gray-less rotation, leaving the final spots to two of Jesse Hahn, Andrew Triggs or Raul Alcantara, writes Stiglich. One hurler who won’t factor into the rotation is righty Frankie Montas, who will work as a reliever this year, according to Beane. However, the A’s still see him as a long-term starter (Twitter link via Slusser).
• Although Red Sox first baseman/designated hitter Hanley Ramirez hasn’t been able to play the field this spring because of a shoulder issue, manager John Farrell doesn’t regard it as a serious injury, relays Rob Bradford of WEEI. “We feel like there’s been a little bit of a breakthrough here,” Farrell said Saturday. “We’re anticipating that throwing to continue to progress and ramp up. The goal, obviously, is still to get him games at first base while in camp, and we’re moving towards that.” Ramirez hasn’t been able to throw, but Farrell pointed out that “he still continues to drill work and ground balls at first base.”
• The Rangers won’t need a fifth starter until April 15, meaning they could opt for a four-man rotation until Andrew Cashner returns, per skipper Jeff Banister (via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News). Cashner has made encouraging progress since he suffered a setback in his recovery from biceps tendinitis on March 9.
• One of Cashner’s teammates and fellow starters, Chi Chi Gonzalez, was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear on Friday. That left Gonzalez “stunned,” writes Grant, who adds that the 25-year-old is likely to get a second opinion. “I had some soreness, but thought it was the usual spring training stuff,” Gonzalez told Grant. “I thought it was something minor. And it’s something people often can’t even throw with and here I was pitching. It’s disappointing.”

More from the game’s Eastern divisions…

• Veteran utilityman Emilio Bonifacio is making a “strong push” to break camp with the Braves at the end of Spring Training, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bonifacio had a pair of poor seasons in 2015-16 and acknowledged to O’Brien that his conditioning in recent seasons has fallen off. Bonifacio reported to camp in better shape than he has in the past couple of years and has performed well while showing the ability to play all second base, third base and all three outfield positions. The Braves don’t currently have a fourth outfield option that has much in the way of center-field experience, so the versatile Bonifacio could fill a need in that regard.
• While the Nationals aren’t publicly acknowledging the possibility, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post writes that the team can very likely only carry one of Adam Lind or Clint Robinson on the bench this season. And, with Lind having inked a Major League contract with an option for the 2018 campaign earlier this year, he’s the likelier candidate to claim that vacant bench spot. The 32-year-old Robinson is out of minor league options, so he’d have to clear waivers or break camp with the team if the Nationals hope to retain him.
• Right-hander Kyle Kendrick has improbably gone from a long shot to make the Red Sox’ roster to perhaps their best option to serve as the team’s sixth starter, writes Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. Drellich notes that Boston’s crowded rotation picture, featuring stars like Chris Sale, David Price and Rick Porcello, made it difficult to lure starting depth on minor league deals. Kendrick, though, was drawn to a winning environment in Boston. Additionally, his agent, John Boggs, also represents Sean O’Sullivan, who spoke highly of his own experience with the Sox in a role similar to the one for which Kendrick is competing. Kendrick explains to Drellich that he was plagued by shoulder troubles in recent years and altered his pitch selection at the Rockies’ request upon moving to Coors Field. His hope is that with his more traditional mix of pitches and a healthy shoulder, he can return to the form that allowed him to log a 4.30 ERA in 862 innings with the Phillies from 2009-14.

Here’s more on a few pitching situations from around the game:

• Signed to provide the Rangers with depth, righty Dillon Gee may now be in position to take a spot in the Opening Day rotation with Andrew Cashner sidelined. As T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes, Gee says he feels healthy and likes the way he’s throwing. As he works back to full health following thoracic outlet surgery, Gee is also working to smooth out mechanical issues he identified in his work last year with the Royals.
• It’s a similar story for Kyle Kendrick, who’s importance to the Red Sox has risen with David Price’s health issues. Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald reports that the 32-year-old won’t have an opt-out opportunity until June 15th, which gives the club some flexibility, though it’s possible he’ll be needed earlier. As Drellich writes, the Sox are encouraged by Kendrick’s initial showing, with manager John Farrell noting that the team likes that he’s working off of his sinker and cutter rather than relying on the four-seam fastball. From Kendrick’s perspective, “I feel right with where I’m at with my stuff.”
• Mets righty Zack Wheeler is drawing some good reviews from his early showing on the mound, as Marc Carig of Newsday reports on Twitter. An “evaluator” tells Carig that Wheeler is showing a “smooth delivery” and that the ball is coming out of his hand well. That’s encouraging for the Mets, who have the depth to account for any further delays from the righty but no doubt want to see him contributing in the majors sooner than later.

4:20pm: The Red Sox announced that they’ve signed veteran right-hander Kyle Kendrick to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

Kendrick, 32, was a fixture on the Phillies’ pitching staff from 2007-14, totaling 1138 2/3 innings of 4.42 ERA ball with 4.9 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 46.1 percent ground-ball rate. Upon reaching free agency for the first time, the durable innings eater inked a one-year deal with the Rockies that proved to be ill-fated. In 142 1/3 innings with Colorado that year, Kendrick was rocked for a 6.32 ERA. Unsurprisingly, he struggled more at home in Coors Field (7.62 ERA) than on the road (5.24).

Kendrick signed a minor league deal with the Braves last offseason but was cut loose late in camp and ultimately latched on with the Angels in late April. He went on to spend most of the season with the Halos’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake, tossing 93 1/3 innings with a 4.72 ERA, 6.5 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. While Kendrick is a long shot to crack the Opening Day roster, he could head to the minors and serve as a depth option that can surface and make spot starts and long relief appearances as needed. (Boston deployed fellow right-hander Sean O’Sullivan in that role last season.)

MARCH 30, 12:43pm: It will be a minor league deal, MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. While that’s not surprising, it certainly would’ve been possible for Kendrick to ink an MLB pact if he was going to open the season in the majors. Instead, it seems, he’ll head to Triple-A.

12:22pm: The Angels are working to finalize an agreement with free agent righty Kyle Kendrick, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi of FOX Sports report (Twitter link). The veteran starter was released earlier in the spring by the Braves.

Kendrick, 31, hasn’t posted a sub-4.00 ERA season since 2012 and was hit hard last year with the Rockies. He also turned in wholly uninspiring results in his minimal spring action before being released by Atlanta.

But Kendrick is also a known commodity with 212 major league starts under his belt, and that’s something the team certainly could use. Though he Halos entered the spring with a seeming rotation surplus, injuries have sapped some of the depth and left the staff exposed in the event of any setbacks.

Kendrick was widely expected to compete for a rotation spot after inking a minors pact that would have paid him $2MM on the MLB roster. He also could have boosted the deal’s total value to $6MM through incentives. Of course, that earning capacity also probably also raised the bar for Atlanta to keep him around, though the timing of this move remains a bit surprising with several weeks left to go.

While it’s still too early to read much into spring stats — if that’s ever worth doing in a vacuum — Kendrick’s have been pretty ugly. Over 3 2/3 frames in two appearances, he has given up 14 hits, 3 walks, and nine earned runs while striking out only one opposing hitter.

Volstad’s early work has been similarly unimpressive, as he’s surrendered eight earned on eight hits and three walks while recording a single K in his 2 2/3 frames of action. He had impressive numbers at Triple-A last year with the Pirates, but will have to go looking for another opportunity this spring.

10:09am: The Braves announced that they have signed right-hander Kyle Kendrick to a minor league deal.  The pact includes a non-roster invite to spring training.

Kendrick, 31, is coming off a poor season with the Rockies after signing a one-year, $5.5MM contract last winter. As a fifth starter that doesn’t miss many bats, Kendrick and Coors Field always seemed like a poor fit, but he presumably went with the largest guarantee offered to him last winter.

In 142 1/3 innings with the Rockies, Kendrick limped to a 6.32 ERA. His K/9, BB/9 and ground-ball rates each trended in the wrong direction in his lone season in Denver, and he finished the year with respective marks of 5.1, 2.9 and 38.8 percent in those regards. While Kendrick’s season was easily the worst of his career and likely hampered his 2015-16 market, he did have a track record as a serviceable source of 25 to 30 starts per year in a different hitter-friendly environment: Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.

From 2010-14, Kendrick worked to a 4.33 ERA with 5.3 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a ground-ball rate near 46 percent in 835 2/3 innings. He missed some time this past year with inflammation in his right shoulder and has previously spent time on the DL (2013) for the same injury.

Earlier this month, the Pirates were mentioned as a club with interest in Kendrick and that pairing would have made a lot of sense given the club’s reputation for restoring the values of veteran pitchers who have stumbled.  Instead, however, Atlanta has picked him up on a low-risk deal.

Here’s more on the pitching market:

• The Giants have some interest in Maeda, skipper Bruce Bochy told reporters including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). And the team has scouted him previously in Japan, colleague Henry Schulman adds on Twitter. Of course, Bochy also added that the club expects Maeda to draw wide interest, and didn’t make clear just how strong of a draw he represents.
• With uncertainty abounding, the Dodgers are holding internal discussions on what to do about the team’s prospective trade for Reds lefty Aroldis Chapman, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports via Twitter. It’s possible that the club could “pivot” to some other acquisition targets or that it might allow the situation to play out before committing in either direction, he adds.
• Recently non-tendered righty Craig Stammen is “100% recovered” from his arm surgery, a source tells MLBTR’s Zach Links (via) Twitter. Stammen, a stalwart of the Nationals pen for several years, was non-tendered recently. He’ll be entering his age-32 season after producing a 2.88 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in 246 2/3 innings over 2012-15.
• The Blue Jays are considering an array of options as they look at pen additions, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca tweets. Toronto is considering everything from the best remaining free agent relievers to “bounce-back types,” he says.
• While a lefty reliever isn’t the Pirates’ top priority, the team has reached to free agent Matt Thornton, Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on Twitter.
• The Pirates have shown interest in free agenty righty Kyle Kendrick, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (via Twitter). Kendrick struggled last year for the Rockies, but he’s still just 31 years old and has had success at times in a swingman capacity. Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review broke down the Bucs’ efforts to find starters in a piece yesterday.
• Japanese reliever Hideki Okajima is eyeing a return to the majors for his age-40 campaign, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com tweets. The long-time Red Sox southpaw last appeared in the bigs in 2013 with the Athletics and has played in Japan for the last two years.