5 Cleveland Guardians free agents who should not be back in 2025

Cleveland Guardians v Los Angeles Angels
Cleveland Guardians v Los Angeles Angels / Katelyn Mulcahy/GettyImages
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Now that the dust has settled on the 2024 season, the Cleveland Guardians must turn their attention to how they are going to approach their roster moving forward. Some decisions they will have to make will be a bit tougher than others but when it comes to who they should not bring back, the following five players are relatively easy decisions for them to make.

1. Anthony Gose - Relief Pitcher

When it comes to who should and who should not be a member of the Cleveland Guardians bullpen next year, Anthony Gose is at the top of the list. Gose is someone who has mostly been used in the break glass in case of emergency type role, and while these guys can be somewhat useful, they are a dime a dozen.

In his three seasons at the MLB level in Cleveland, Gose has a 4.78 ERA and 1.134 WHIP in 32 total innings. While Gose does have a career mark of 11.5 strikeouts per nine, at age 34, this is not likely to continue for someone with very few competitive innings pitched.

Even though the Guardians have been there for Gose during his transition from outfielder to relief pitcher, and everything they have done to support these efforts is admirable, but the time has come to bring this relationship to an end.

2. Carlos Carrasco - Starting Pitcher

Of the players expected to play a sizeable role for the Cleveland Guardians in 2024, Carlos Carrasco was near, if not at the bottom of that list. Carrasco was signed to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training in the offseason. This seemed to mostly be some time of doing right by one of their former key players type move, but a few injuries provided an opening for Carrasco to join Cleveland's rotation at the start of the season.

Carrasco finished 2024 with a 5.64 ERA, 1.399 WHIP, and 9.7 strikeouts per nine in 103.2 innings across 21 starts. Even though the overall numbers were not necessarily all that impressive, Carrasco was able to hold the Guardians' rotation together and provide some much-needed stability during a time when they desperately needed it.

At 37 years old, Carrasco does not have a lot of playing days left in his baseball career, if any. It was quite obvious from the start of 2024 that any appearances from Carrasco would seem to be part of a last-ride-type scenario.

When his career is officially over, Carrasco will always be remembered as a fan favorite in Cleveland and as someone who played at their best during his time in the organization. While others appearing in this list are the easily discarded type due to a lack of usefulness, Carrasco is someone who will be celebrated for what he was able to accomplish in Cleveland and for the impact he made on the organization he spent the most time with.

3. Matthew Boyd - Starting Pitcher

The Cleveland Guardians took chances on their fair share of lottery tickets this past season, and Matthew Boyd was one of the more successful players.

Cleveland brought Boyd into the fold knowing that what they would receive from him would be somewhat limited, but were hoping that he would be able to maximize his value in that short time. Luckily for the Guardians, their acquisition of Boyd was a highly productive one.

In his eight starts in Cleveland, Boyd posted a 2.72 ERA, 1.134 WHIP, and 10.4 strikeouts per nine across 39.2 innings. This was far beyond what any reasonable person could have expected from Boyd, and his contributions to what the Guardians were able to accomplish this season should not be discounted.

Even though every single bit of information up to this point is of the positive variety and sounds like an argument for keeping him, the reality is the Guardians should not fall into the obvious trap that sits in front of them. Boyd outperformed his career marks across the board, this is a major red flag. The other area of concern would be the fact he has not been all that healthy over the past few years, including undergoing Tommy John surgery last year.

This combination of injuries and overperformance are textbook examples of when to let a guy walk. The risk of re-signing Boyd and him flopping for one reason or another is not worth the potential reward and the Guardians should make their decision accordingly.

4. Estevan Florial - Outfielder

When the Cleveland Guardians sent Cody Morris to the New York Yankees in exchange for outfielder Estevan Florial, the thought process was sound. Cleveland's rotation was full, and there was no path to playing time in the majors, while their outfield was an offensive mess outside of Steven Kwan.

Taking a chance on Florial under these circumstances was fine at the time, and there was some hope that a change of scenery could result in him living up to being the player that many thought he would be. The problem was that the same issues that plagued him in New York continued in Cleveland, and he was mostly a non-factor at the plate.

Once it became clear that Florial was still the same player and nothing was going to change, the Guardians should have pulled the plug then and there. The problem is that the Guardians decided that Florial was worth 111 plate appearances and being rostered until the end of May.

The reality is that Florial is not a major league-caliber player and does not belong on a big league roster anywhere. In fact, being in the minor league system of a team that needs outfield help and is taking up space that would be better utilized by someone with an actual future in the majors is a roster construction malpractice. Cleveland should not bring Florial back and not think twice about it.

5. Alex Cobb - Starting Pitcher

In need of pitching help at the trade deadline, the Cleveland Guardians swung a deal with the San Francisco Giants for veteran pitcher Alex Cobb. Like most of their additions in 2024, it was a low-risk high-reward-type move, and while some were successful, Cobb's was not.

Cobb made just three regular season starts for the Guardians, and his overall numbers in those appearances were fine (5 earned runs, 14 hits, 10 strikeouts, and 3 walks in 16.1 innings), but that is not really the issue here. Health was an issue for Cobb during his time in Cleveland, as he missed time due to a blister and a fractured fingernail. Cobb's health issues were not limited to the regular season, as he ended up being replaced by Ben Lively on the ALCS roster due to a back injury.

It honestly feels like Cobb's time with the Guardians was the living embodiment of Sideshow Bob repeatedly stepping on a rake and getting smacked in the face, with the rake being a different kind of injury. Considering that Cobb just turned 37, it is unlikely that his recurring health problems are going to go away anytime soon. Cobb may be able to get back to pitching at a productive level, but bringing him back and hoping that happens is just too risky for the Guardians in their current state. The best path for them to solidify their rotation would be to look elsewhere.

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