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Comin' home: 3 veteran FAs who should reunite with their rookie clubs

Bob Levey / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Sometimes it's best to go full circle.

With free agency currently underway, all bets are off as to where some of the hottest names on the market will land. Some players, however, with years of service time and experience under their belts, have the option of returning to the clubs where they first made a name for themselves, looking into their distant past to decide on their immediate future.

Of course, these potential pairings need to be mutually beneficial for both team and player. For example, sending Carlos Beltran to the Kansas City Royals at this stage of his career wouldn't make much sense.

That said, here are three veteran free agents who should consider a reunion with their rookie clubs:

Matt Holliday - Rockies

The time may be ripe for a Rocktober reunion.

Holliday was a crucial cog in one of the greatest Rockies sides of all time. Spearheaded by Holliday's 1.012 OPS and 36 home runs, the 2007 Rockies miraculously earned a wild-card berth and capped their Cinderella story with a World Series run. Sadly, the fairy tale wasn't enough to get past the Boston Red Sox in the Fall Classic, as they were swept.

Even in the twilight of his career, the 37-year-old does make sense in Colorado. With David Dahl expected to reclaim a starting gig, Holliday could serve as a fourth outfielder on the Rockies, or he could give Ian Desmond a rest at first. There's also the possibility to suit up as a designated hitter in the rare interleague contest.

Ichiro Suzuki - Mariners

Suzuki may not be the heralded outfielder he once was, but the Japanese icon still works in a backup role.

The 44-year-old became a free agent earlier this month when his team-friendly $2-million option was declined by the Miami Marlins. He won't put up 200-plus hits in a single season like he used to with the Mariners, but Suzuki is still a serviceable fourth outfielder, a pinch-running option, or an occasional defensive substitution.

He shouldn't be Seattle's primary target - they need a starting center fielder to replace Jarrod Dyson as well as a new first baseman - but Suzuki would be a perfect, low-cost depth option for a hopeful postseason run.

J.D. Martinez - Astros

Is it fair that the reigning World Series champs can cap an incredible season by snagging the best free agent available? Maybe not, but neither is life, and here we are. It also happens to be a perfectly sensible solution, and the Astros' lineup would be downright disgusting.

Though he's been a mainstay in the outfield, teams looking to acquire Martinez most likely don't want him there anymore. Over the last two seasons, the free-agent slugger has combined for minus-27 defensive runs saved, and his services are better utilized as a designated hitter, a missing piece in the Astros' puzzle.

Martinez would easily usurp Carlos Beltran as Houston's DH, and Evan Gattis would continue to serve as Brian McCann's backup behind the plate. In turn, Martinez would get the chance to erase the horrid memory of his .687 OPS with Houston from 2011-13 by slugging longballs over and onto the Minute Maid Park train tracks.

(Photos courtesy Getty Images)

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