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

Certain players would make sense for the Cleveland Guardians to bring back or at least be an intriguing proposition to consider. There are also certain players for whom it would not make sense to consider a potential return or is a significantly less intriguing option. This is a list of individuals who fit the latter grouping and not the former. 

1. Yu Chang

There may not be a major league player who has more fun on a baseball field than former Guardians infielder Yu Chang. The problem is that his high level of enthusiasm does not translate to actual production on the field.

Chang has made major league appearances for four different organizations since 2019, most of which came with Cleveland. With a career slash line of .204/.265/.359 with a weighted runs created plus of just 78, it is no wonder why he played for Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, and Boston over the last two seasons.

It would be a little bit different if Cleveland did not have an excess of infield options available to them at the major league and minor league level. However, that is not the case, as the Guardians still have to sort out who is their shortstop of the future, in addition to incorporating Kyle Manzardo into the lineup as soon as next season. To be blunt, this is not a good time to reintegrate Chang back into this roster. 

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.

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.