Guardians Fans Will See A Few Familiar Faces In The Wild Card Series Against The Rays

Corey Kluber, Yandy Diaz, and Francisco Mejia used to play for Cleveland but now all on Tampa Bay.

After a couple of weeks of speculation and "what if" scenarios, we finally have the days, times, and opponents for the Wild Card Series. The Guardians will take on the Tampa Bay Rays with game one being this Friday at 12:07 pm.

Let's take a look at both of these teams before the action gets going. These teams and organizations are much more intertwined than some may realize. 

Corey Kluber

The Rays have a few players that Cleveland fans may remember seeing rocking the navy and red just a few years ago. The player that all fans will know is Corey Kluber. 

Kluber was on the Indians for nine years before he was traded to the Rangers. During that time he had a 2.99 ERA and most importantly was the Ace that lead the team to the 2016 World Series. Kluber eventually found his way to the Rays this year where he's had a solid season. 

There's a good chance that fans will get to see Kluber pitch in a playoff game at Progressive Field this weekend. Just not in a Cleveland uniform.

Yandy Diaz

Cleveland had a number of intriguing prospects come through the system from 2016 -2019. One of those was Yandy Diaz. Over two years and 88 games played with the Indians, Diaz slashed .283/.361/.366.

Not bad at all!

However, he was a natural third baseman and with Jose Ramirez, on the roster, Diaz didn't seem to have a fit in the future. Before the 2020 season, he was traded to the Rays, Jake Bauers. (Yeah, not the best trade.)

He's still on the Rays roster, although he's dealt with some injuries throughout 2022. There's still a chance that Cleveland could see him in the Wild Card Series.

Francisco Mejia

Another prospect who came up in the Cleveland organization was Fransisco Mejia. He was once a highly touted catching prospect, however, it was a similar situation that Diaz was in. Cleveland already had Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez at catcher and the team was in a win-now mode.

This led to them using Mejia's value to go get relievers Brad Hand and Adam Cimber from the Padres. 

Mejia was not with the team on Thursday due to the birth of his child so his availability this weekend is still unclear. But if he is with the Rays then he will likely be out to prove something to the organization he grew up with. 

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