#3. Danny Salazar
A former All-Star in 2016, Danny Salazar absolutely screams “bounce-back candidate”. The righty had quite the solid year during his All-Star season, going 11-6 while posting a 3.87 ERA and a 1.130 WHIP. As a starter in both 2015 and 2013, Salazar also held an ERA in the mid to low 3.00s.
Salazar was blossoming into quite the ace for Cleveland early in his career, before injuries ultimately derailed him. Salazar struggled mightily in 2017, eventually being moved to the bullpen at one point. As the 2018 season kicked off, Salazar was moved to the 60-day disabled list, a clear indication that Salazar was pitching most of 2017 while injured.
Salazar underwent shoulder surgery in 2018, missing the entirety of the season. He would pitch just one game in 2019 before being moved to the disabled list yet again (groin injury).
It’s no secret that Salazar has struggled with injuries in recent history, it’s why he’s still available as a free agent currently. With that said, it’s been almost two full years since his shoulder surgery. With so much time to rehab, there’s a half decent chance he’s back in a condition to pitch again.
At just 30 years of age, Salazar could very well still be in above average shape. Plus, his career ERA of 3.86 would also automatically rank as one of the best on the team.
Similar to that of Cashner, bringing in an extra arm to compete as either a starter or a bullpen arm simply makes too much sense.