Five former players the Guardians should not attempt to bring back to Cleveland

2. Carlos Carrasco

Once upon a time it seemed like Carlos Carrasco was going to play his entire career in a Cleveland Guardians uniform. Carrasco would eventually be part of the package that went to New York in a deal that was headlined by Francisco Lindor going to the Mets, ending that possibility.

It has been a rough go of things for Carrasco since landing in Queens, as his 5.21 ERA, 1.461 WHIP, and 8.2 strikeouts per nine in 61 games for the Mets are not up to the same level he was able to show in Cleveland (3.77 ERA, 1.196 WHIP, 9.5 K/9). Injuries have played a factor for Carrasco in New York, but it appears age has caught up to him as well.

There are only so many starts that a team should expect from Carrasco at this point in his career, and there are even fewer that are likely to have him not give up too many runs. Half of Carrasco's 10 starts with the Mets last season saw him give up four runs or more, five of which had five runs allowed and three being of the six-run variety.

The possibility of Carrasco coming back to Cleveland would be a lot more likely if this was a Guardians team that was navigating the waters of irrelevancy and was looking to do right by a fan favorite, but that is not the current state of the organization. This is a team that is looking to get back to being competitive and return to the postseason in 2024. Because of this, it is better to remember the previous appearances of Carrasco in a Cleveland uniform rather than expect any more to happen in the future.

3. Corey Kluber

Speaking of former Cleveland pitchers who were traded for integral parts of their current roster, Corey Kluber.

After being dealt to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Emmanuel Clase ahead of the 2020 season, Kluber has seen mixed results on the mound. From missing all but one inning of his first season in Texas to being a solid option for the Yankees and Rays the following two years, and finally, his year in Boston, which did not go well.

The former two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher is currently at the point in his career where he bounces around from organization to organization, with there being some level of hope of winning a World Series. Even though Cleveland is an organization that should be better next season and is closer to making that possibility a reality, they are not yet at the level of teams that players sign in an attempt to win a championship. The Guardians are going to need at least two more offseasons in order to reach that level. With Kluber turning 38 early next season, there is a good chance his playing days are behind him by the time Cleveland is in a position to be a genuine contender.

4. Eddie Rosario

A few years ago, the Cleveland Guardians found themselves in a situation extremely similar to their current one. They needed production from their outfield, but the run-of-the-mill variety would not do. They specifically needed power. This is why back in 2021, the team decided to pluck Eddie Rosario from the Minnesota Twins.

This was a rather underwhelming experience that saw Rosario hit only seven home runs in 78 games and ultimately being traded to the Atlanta Braves. Rosario's OPS jumped nearly 220 points while hitting the same number of long balls with the Braves in less than half of games played while with Cleveland (33) following the trade. 2022 was a disappointing outing from Rosario, as he was limited to just 80 games, but 2023 was the version of Rosario that Cleveland thought they were getting when they signed him nearly three years ago.

The 32-year-old would finish what could be his last season in a Braves uniform with 24 doubles and 21 home runs with 74 runs driven in with his highest full-season OPS since 2019 (.755) and a weighted runs created plus of 100, which amounts to league average in 142 games. As enticing as some of these numbers could be, it would be best for the Guardians to not explore Round 2 of Eddie Rosario. There is a very good chance that his highest home run total since 2019 may very well be an outlier at this point in his career.

5. Mike Clevinger

There was a time where it appeared that Mike Clevinger was going to be a mainstay in Cleveland's pitching rotation for the forseeable future. Unfortunately, it was a combination on injuries and bad decision making while on a road trip in Chicago during the 2020 season that ultimately led to his departure.

Clevinger would require Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. Having Tommy John surgery twice is never a good thing, and it can become more of an issue if this occurs after the age of 30, which is when the second one took place. With that being said, Clevinger appears to have recovered just fine, as he has a 4.03 ERA and 1.213 WHIP over his past two seasons with the Padres and Chicago White Sox. As encouraging as these numbers are post-second Tommy John, it does not make much sense to bring him back into the fold.

The main reason is pretty simple, the Guardians already have a full major-league pitching rotation with Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, and Logan Allen. Even if Cleveland were to trade away Bieber and/or lose one of the others due to injury, it would still be very unlikely to see Clevinger come back to Cleveland. It is not just about the current state of the pitching staff, Clevinger's injury history, or the way he left the team. It is everything put together that makes it incredibly difficult to envision Clev ever putting on a Cleveland uniform again.