The 2023 MLB season is officially in the books as the Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series on Wednesday night. Last year was one that most Cleveland Guardians fans want to forget though.
Let's take a look at some of Cleveland's upcoming free agents as the team, organization, and fans look ahead to 2024.
Kole Calhoun
Kole Calhoun joined the Guardians late in the season. He was acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers (Triple-A) at the beginning of August and found regular playing time with the Guardians in the final month of the season.
The former slugger had a slash line of .217/.282/.376 with six home runs during his stint with the Guardians. Calhoun was working toward his 10-year MLB service time accomplishment, which he hit on September 14.
Calhoun was a solid player to have on the roster while they dealt with injuries, but there aren't a lot of reasons why the Guardians should be eager to bring him back in 2024.
Lucas Gilito
The Guardians needed a pitcher and took advantage of the Los Angeles Angels' post-trade deadline fire sale at the end of August. They cut a struggling Lucas Gioltio who was immediately picked up by Cleveland.
Giolito's problems continued with the Guardians as he finished with a 7.04 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in six starts with Cleveland. He now looks to revive his career, but it doesn't seem like that'll be with the Guardians.
Reynaldo Lopez
Reynaldo Lopez was another one of the Angels' late-season departures and was claimed off waivers by the Guardians. He was actually terrific in his limited time in Cleveland.
The right-hander appeared in 12 games and pitched 11.0 innings for the Guardians and didn't allow a single run and only allowed five hits. He also has a walk-to-strikeout ratio of 4/12.
Lopez is the only one of Cleveland's free agents that would be worth bringing back. However, his performance in the final month of the season may have made him too expensive to bring back.
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