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The Arizona Diamondbacks did not tender catcher Wil Nieves a contract by Friday's deadline, making him a free agent.
The 35-year-old Nieves was one of seven arbitration eligible players on Arizona's roster. Nieves, however, was the only one who wasn't tendered a contract. He played in 16 games for the Diamondbacks last season after being claimed off waivers from the Colorado Rockies. Nieves and Miguel Montero were the only catchers on the Diamondbacks' active roster, so Arizona will likely be in the market for a backup catcher.
While Nieves is now a free agent, the Diamondbacks did tender offers to Ian Kennedy, Chris Johnson, outfielder Gerardo Parra, pitcher Mike Zagurski, pitcher Brad Ziegler and pitcher Matt Albers. None of the moves come as a major surprise. Johnson played well after coming over in a trade with Houston and should be relatively inexpensive as he is arbitration eligible for the first time.