Cleveland Indians re-sign Michael Martinez to minor league deal

The Cleveland Indians have brought Michael Martinez back to the organization after trading him to Tampa Bay earlier this season.

Just as Cleveland Indians fans were beginning to adjust to life without Michael Martinez, this happened.

So after a stint with the Tampa Bay Rays that didn’t work out, Martinez is back in the organization, likely heading back to Cleveland sooner than later.

Fans constantly piled angst upon Martinez, but a quick scroll through Twitter after an Erik Gonzalez error and one will find nostalgia toward Martinez.

More from Away Back Gone

• Cleveland Guardians tantalizingly close to locking up AL Central tiebreakers
• Cleveland Guardians: Terry Francona becomes meme in profanity-laced ejection
• Say goodbye to defensive shifts and hello to bigger bases, pitch clock in 2023
• Cleveland Guardians: Shane Bieber second-fastest to 800 strikeouts in major-league history
• The next week will make or break the Cleveland Guardians’ season

This deal doesn’t mean Gonzalez’s job is in immediate danger, but it does give the Indians a veteran option for that utility role. Martinez is also a familiar face so it is basically like he never left.

For those who recall, this same exact thing happened last year when Martinez departed for Boston, only for the Indians to bring him back later in the year.

At this point, Martinez and the Indians are either star-crossed lovers or that couple who keeps getting back together when everyone knows it’s a bad idea.

But as of right now, Martinez is only in Triple-A and some solid play from Gonzalez should keep him on the roster.

Because even though Gonzalez is a better hitter than Martinez, defense is most important in that utility role, and Martinez can provide that late-game defensive replacement that Terry Francona covets.

This re-signing was predicted by almost everyone, but it is still interesting to see it happen so soon, which was helped by Tampa Bay realizing the mistake of their ways and cutting Martinez loose almost immediately.

Next: Indians just trying to remain in first

Baseball is a crazy game, and for Indians fans this means Michael Martinez is back in town. No matter how many times people think he is gone for good, he is always coming back.