Five former players the Guardians should consider bringing back

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If the Cleveland Guardians are going to return to the postseason and start off on the right foot under newly hired manager Stephen Vogt, they are going to need some help. Some help that could come from some familiar faces. A few of these have recently made an appearance in a Cleveland uniform, while others have been away from the organization for a few years.

1. Matt Moore

Starting with a recent member of the Guardians' organization, left-handed relief pitcher Matt Moore. Moore's time with the Guardians last season was brief but came at a time when the team believed that they could make a genuine run to the postseason. While that ultimately did not happen, Cleveland would be wise to consider a second go-around with Moore.

The 34-year-old would give Cleveland a second left-handed reliever in their bullpen, the other being Sam Hentges. Moore has been very impressive the past two seasons, striking out 143 batters in 126.2 innings with an ERA of 2.20 and 1.168 WHIP. Cleveland would not need Moore to be their go-to lefty, nor should he be at this point in his career. However, he would be able to provide some insurance should Hentges falter or the team be unable to bring in anyone else to bolster their relief corps.

2. Phil Maton

Keeping the focus on Cleveland's bullpen, a reunion with Phil Maton would make some sense for the Guardians. Maton has vastly improved since being traded to the Houston Astros along with Yainer Diaz during the 2021 season in exchange for much maligned outfielder Myles Straw.

The 30-year-old relief pitcher has seen his numbers improve pretty much across the board since landing in Houston. Maton has a 3.67 ERA and 1.255 WHIP in 162 games with the Astros, while those were 4.30 and 1.261 respectively in his 70 appearances in Cleveland. There is one area in which Maton's numbers have decreased, strikeouts per nine. Maton's K/9 was 12.7 across his three years in Cleveland, while it sits just under 10 in a full season's worth of games in Houston (9.8). While it has decreased, this number would have been tied for third with Trevor Stephan among qualified pitchers on the Guardians last season.

What a reunion like this is aimed at is finding a way to bolster the pitching staff as a whole. There were more than a few times that the young starters in the Guardians' rotation were not able to go as far as anyone wanted, resulting in increased stress being placed upon the bullpen. Over time, this can compound and lead to disastrous results late in games, a few of which were seen late in the year. Keeping in mind that there is a world where Cleveland is not getting their desired start length from the young arms in their rotation, the Guardians must find a way to improve the floor of their relief arms, and bringing back Maton would help accomplish exactly that.

3. Robbie Grossman

Even though Robbie Grossman never made a major league appearance during his brief stint with Cleveland, he did appear in 34 games for the Columbus Clippers during the 2016 season. Grossman would eventually opt out of his contract in mid-May, ultimately signing with the Minnesota Twins. The switch-hitting outfielder would go on to hit a career-high 27 doubles with the Twins in 2018 and 23 home runs during his one-year stint with the Detroit Tigers.

Grossman has managed 20+doubles in five of the last six years, excluding the abbreviated 2020 season. The home run total tends to be on the opposite end of the spectrum, with Grossman hitting 10 or more in just three of the last seven years.

Considering his age (34) and his inconsistent output at the plate in recent years, Grossman may be better off in a role where he is not an everyday player. Grossman would appear in 48 of the first 55 games for the Rangers last year (46 starts) to start the year. That would decrease to 15 games in June (12 starts in 27 games), 14 in July (nine starts in 24 games), 17 in August (14 starts in 27 games), with a slight uptick in September/October, making 18 starts in 21 appearances over 29 games.

Cleveland might be able to work his bat into the lineup a few times a week in a part-time role that could help the current roster while still allowing some flexibility for outfield prospects down the road.

4. Kole Calhoun

This may not be a very exciting option among former Cleveland baseball players, but bringing back Kole Calhoun in a role where he makes one or two apperances per week is not necessarily the worst idea anyone has ever had.

Granted, the offensive production the Guardians would get out of Calhoun at this stage in his career does not pop off the page, considering he slashed .217/282/.376 with seven doubles and six home runs in 43 games with Cleveland last season. But this is not a move entirely geared at offensive production but rather to retain having a veteran presence in the locker room. Remember, this is still a very young team in Cleveland, and having someone for those players to lean on when necessary is valuable.

If the Guardians were to bring back Calhoun, it would help with year-over-year continuity on the roster while also not being a roadblock to playing time for any of the younger, unproven players on the roster. Calhoun's presence on this team would mostly be rooted in being a seasoned veteran in the locker room, in addition to being capable of playing in a day game following a night game in the final game of a series, which should allow some key players to get off their feet before they prepare for their next opponent.

5. Michael Brantley

Seriously, who else would love to see good old Dr. Smooth return to Cleveland and go out with the organization he broke into the majors with?

Unlike the previous two bats listed here, Michael Brantley is still able to be a producer when in the lineup, slashing .286/.357/.418 with a .775 OPS over the past two seasons. The problem is that he has not been available all that often, as he was limited to 79 games over that span.

Brantley returning to Cleveland would help the Guardians in two areas. The first area is a bat that contributes from day one and is a steady presence in their lineup. The other area would buy the Guardians some time for the more intriguing outfield prospects in their system rather than those who have trouble staying healthy, striking out too much, or both. This would protect Cleveland should those prospects not be ready (if they ever are ready) and if there are injuries to other players at the major league level. The Guardians had a razor-thin margin for error last season, and bringing back Brantley would be a way to see that margin grow, an outcome this team desperately needs as they look to begin the Stephen Vogt managerial era on a good note.