Cleveland Indians: Will Craig Breslow return to the Tribe?

The Cleveland Indians have watched as every player they had enter free agency leave for another team. There is only one free agent left. That is reliever Craig Breslow.

After being picked up by the Tribe in August last year, Breslow didn’t really perform very well. He pitched in only seven games, totaling 4.1 innings pitched with a 4.15 ERA. He was not, by any stretch, an important part of the Indians bullpen.

Breslow is 37 years old and has not had a sub-4.00 ERA season since 2013 with the Boston Red Sox when he posted a 1.81 ERA. In what has been a crowded relief market, Breslow is still looking for a job.

Without a recent track record of success, it’s not hard to see why Breslow is still available. But should the Indians bring him back? He’s the only guy left from their 2017 team still on the market. Depth in the bullpen is never a bad thing.

What would it cost to re-sign Breslow?

Not much. Breslow could be stuck with a minor league deal at this point in the winter. He’s not a sought-after commodity. Teams can find younger players that have pitched better in the last four years for a cheap price.

It will be hard for Breslow to find a major league deal after his performance these past few years. He played on a $1.25 million contract last season.

It may not even be surprising to see Breslow hang up his cleats if he’s unable to find a major league job. He’s been around awhile and has earned the chance to retire. Although, being a competitor, Breslow might want to go out on his own terms and perhaps after pitching slightly better to end his career.

Should the Tribe bring Breslow back?

That depends on your view of the bullpen situation. Breslow would not fit in to the late innings as a setup man back on his lack of production in recent years. He could be a decent depth addition in the early innings of the bullpen, but he’s not necessary to team success.

The Cleveland Indians should not want to bring Breslow back just for the sake of signing back one of their own free agents. The fans didn’t want Breslow back out of their group of free agents. They would’ve preferred keeping Carlos Santana or Jay Bruce. Breslow is not important to the Tribe’s success this year.

Next: Rumor season in January

If Breslow doesn’t return, or simply retires, that means the Cleveland Indians will have lost every single one of their free agents this winter. While losing Breslow may not be a major loss, it’s may not help morale heading into the season seeing every free agent depart for a new team.