Tag Archives: Corey Kluber

I’m hoping for the best when it comes to Corey Kluber

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The former Cleveland Baseball Club and current New York Yankees starter will miss significant time with an injury.

If there is one thing that Cleveland baseball fans can appreciate it is the nine seasons that Corey Kluber spent with the ball club. That’s what makes the last three seasons for Kluber so sad to see from the standpoint of a fan. Kluber suffered season-ending injuries the previous two seasons. While 2019 he was able to appear in seven games for Cleveland, he only pitched a single inning for the Texas Rangers in 2020. That’s why when the news of Kluber exiting a game with a shoulder injury hit it was like a gut punch. The update on his injury isn’t any better as he is expected to miss at least two months with the injury.

https://twitter.com/lindseyadler/status/1397665149121667077?s=20

What makes all of this just a little bit worse is that Corey Kluber tossed a no-hitter in his previous start. Kluber was starting to appear to be in Klubot form and was looking like his old self again. In 10 games with the Yankees, Kluber had a 3.04 ERA, 1.200 WHIP, and 9.3 K/9. While just a bit down from his prime years, this was a nice rebound after the last two seasons were cut short.

I don’t care that Corey Kluber plays for the Yankees now, I am rooting for him. I want to see Kluber come back and look like a good pitcher again. The fact that he was pitching good again was great to see considering the previous two seasons. Even if Kluber comes back and there is a little bit of a drop off it will still be great to see. The drop off is palatable as long as he returns to the mound.

I always have been and will be a fan of Corey Kluber. Right now I’m just rooting for him to come back.

Cleveland attends Corey Kluber throwing session

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The Cleveland Baseball Club attended a throwing session of the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

The offseason for the Cleveland Baseball Club took an interesting turn Wednesday as they attended a throwing session of one of their former pitchers, Corey Kluber.

Cleveland was one of the 25 teams to attend the throwing session.

Cleveland traded Corey Kluber last offseason to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Delino DeShields and Emmanuel Clase. The early returns on that trade have not been great since the team moved on from DeShields and Clase missed all of last season due to a positive PED test.

Considering Cleveland’s pitching depth they do not necessarily need Corey Kluber. Their rotation features Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale, and Triston McKenzie. There are also other arms in the minor leagues they could consider. Although, if they do not think they are quite ready that is where Kluber would be a match.

This could be an attempt to regain some goodwill after trading Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets. Corey Kluber has dealt with injuries and a drop in effectiveness the past few seasons so any team looking for his services must be wary. Perhaps Kluber could be convinced to take a deal with lower cost due to the past few seasons. If that is the case it would make sense Cleveland is interested considering how they slashed payroll this offseason.

Corey Kluber has teres major muscle tear

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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Corey Kluber has a grade 2 tear of his teres major muscle and will be shut down immediately.

The Texas Rangers got an update on the health of Corey Kluber and the news is not good. Kluber has a grade 2 tear of the teres major muscle.

Kluber had an MRI on Sunday evening which revealed the severity of the injury. For the time being Kluber is shut down for at least four weeks and then he will be reevaluated. As the above tweets mentions, any return for Kluber would be that of a reliever due to be unable to fully build back up to handling the workload of a starting pitcher.

This injury should sound familiar to fans of the baseball team in Cleveland. Kluber’s former teammate Mike Clevinger suffered a strain of the teres major last season. Former Texas Rangers reliever Emmanuel Clase also suffered a strain earlier this year with Cleveland.

Depending on where the Rangers are in the standings could very well decide if Corey Kluber returns or not. If Kluber could make an impact for a playoff push/run a potential return would make sense. If Texas is out of contention it is possible that all Texas sees of Kluber this season are his 18 pitches he threw on Sunday.

Corey Kluber exits after 1 inning in Rangers debut

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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Corey Kluber had an early exit in his team debut as he was dealing with right shoulder tightness.

Corey Kluber did not have the start he wanted in his Texas Rangers debut. After just 1 inning of work the two-time Cy Young Award winner had to leave due to injury.

Kluber was dealing with shoulder tightness and will be examined on Monday, This is not a great sign for Texas’ recently acquired right hander. Leaving after only 1 inning and the fact it was getting progressively tighter is not something that Texas wants to hear. Even if Kluber is able to come back soon this will be a situation that will require monitoring all season long.

Corey Kluber has shown the toughness from time to time to pitch through these injuries. While there have been a few starts missed, he seemingly is always able to be ready for the playoffs. Unfortunately he wasn’t quite right as he allowed 9 runs in 6.1 innings during the 2017 ALDS and 4 runs in 4.2 innings in the 2018 ALDS. Things just haven’t gone right for Kluber in the postseason since the 2016 run. Hopefully Kluber can return to the mound healthy sooner rather than later.

Corey Kluber traded to Texas Rangers

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The Cleveland Indians have agreed to a deal which will send two-time Cy Young Award winning pitcher Corey Kluber to the Texas Rangers.

Well it has finally happened. After over a year of trade speculation, Corey Kluber has been traded. Not to the Dodgers or Padres like many expected, but to the Texas Rangers. ESPN’s Jeff Passan had the report.

The trade will impact Kluber’s salary for 2020 and possibly 2021.

The deal is pending physicals per Jon Heyman.

Trade talks were intensifying after the Winter Meetings came to a close. After the report Saturday that the Angels were out on Corey Kluber, it felt like a deal was going to happen soon. Cleveland was apparently weighing their options and found one they liked.

The return for Cleveland is not what they could have gotten if they moved Kluber prior to last season. Kluber’s value was about as high as it was going to get. Well, for a pitcher on the wrong side of 30 with diminishing effectiveness on his pitches. Now it seems like Cleveland will end up receiving a fraction of what they could have gotten if they made the move last season.

Hindsight is 20/20. The Indians felt they could still contend and nobody expected Kluber to appear in only seven games in 2019. Not to mention that nobody expected Kluber to pitch so poorly in those games.

Corey Kluber will always be a fan favorite and will be remembered as one of the best pitchers the team has had in recent memory and part of squad the got so close to breaking their World Series drought.

UPDATE: INDIANS RETURN FOR KLUBER

As mentioned above, the return is not what it was going to be if the Indians moved him a year ago.

Emmanuel Clase is certainly an interesting acquisition. Clase can throw a cutter at or near 100 MPH and has the promise to be an integral part of the bullpen. Cleveland has survived off a slapped together bullpen the past couple seasons and with a potential rule change, guys like Oliver Perez are suddenly not as valuable. Finding relievers who can face more than batter will be required in the future. Cleveland is clearly hoping that Clase could do just that.

Delino DeShields Jr. seems to be more of a throw-in type player. DeShields has one more arbitration eligible year after 2020. DeShields is someone who has speed but is maddeningly inconsistent at the plate. What this does mean is the Yasiel Puig is more than likely gone for those holding out hope for a return. This also could mean that Cleveland could be looking to move some of their other outfielders in other trades. Players such as Greg Allen, Tyler Naquin and Bradley Zimmer to name a few. Adding another outfielder into the mix makes the outfield even more crowded. It would make sense for the Tribe to move one or more of their outfielders from last season.

Trade market for Corey Kluber becoming more clear

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Cleveland Indians pitcher Corey Kluber is getting an almost surprising amount of interest during trade discussions this offseason.

Well, we can cross one team off and add one team to the list of clubs interested in Corey Kluber. The Los Angeles Angels are out according to reports. This is after Kluber was linked to the Angels earlier this week.

The team to add to the list? Texas. Apparently the Rangers have decided to throw their hats into the ring and are trying their hand at acquiring the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

The report of the Rangers being interested came before the Angels found themselves out of the running. Same with this report of the Padres still being in the mix.

To the surprise of no one, the Dodgers are still linked to Corey Kluber.

It seems that there is a sweepstakes of sorts. The Dodgers, Padres and Rangers all have interest in Corey Kluber. All teams need help in their rotation, some more than others. The interest from Texas seems to be mostly focused on Kluber while Los Angeles and San Diego could be eyeing on a combo package that also involves Francisco Lindor. The only hurdle with those discussions is that both the Dodgers and Padres are not willing to give up their top prospects. Something that needs to happen in order to acquire players of their caliber.

Here is the reality. Corey Kluber is not going to bring the return he would have a year ago. A season marred with injuries an poor performance will do that. Kluber only made seven starts before taking a line drive off his right forearm, ending his season. His 5.80 ERA and 1.654 WHIP were his worst since becoming a starter for the Tribe. Teams interested in his services are most likely assuming that last year was a fluke and a return to this previous Cy Young wining form is more likely than not.

Previously, many thought that Cleveland should wait for Kluber to rebuild his value before attempting to trade him. Now they are in a situation where they need to strike while the iron is hot and make a deal while they can. It appears that a trade of Corey Kluber will come sooner rather than later.

Plenty of Indians trade speculation

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There has been some speculation and rumors surrounding the Cleveland Indians and possible trades of Francisco Lindor, Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger.

It is definitely check your source season. There are plenty of rumors that involve the Cleveland Indians. Some are legitimate. Others, not so much. A perfect example is the trade rumor that Zack Meisel of The Athletic shot down immediately.

That would be a large return for Francisco Lindor. It would give Clevland three young controllable players in Lux, Verdugo and May. Too bad it isn’t real.

The inclusion of Austin Barnes in this rumor is a bit of a head scratcher. Cleveland already has Roberto Perez and recently acquired Sandy Leon. Leon is obviously the backup defensive-type catcher. The Indians also have Eric Haase down in AAA. Acquiring a catcher does not make the most sense here. Austin Barnes can play other positions, but mostly sees time at catcher. If Barnes was a bit younger he may be of interest, but he will be 30 at the end of December.

There is good point made about the Dodgers and what they are willing to give up to acquire Francisco Lindor.
https://twitter.com/CDrottar19/status/1205570699882041346?s=20

There seems to be a reluctance to part ways with top talent. You have to be willing to trade premier talent in order to acquire premier talent That includes players such as Gavin Lux, Alex Verdugo and Dustin May. Unless they come to that realization they may not end up acquiring Francisco Lindor.

Padres are in on Francisco Lindor too

Now, the Indians and Padres were talking per a report on Friday. No specific players were mentioned in the report. Just that the two sides were talking.

Not sure what type of deal is being referred to here. Is it for pitching? Is it for Lindor? Speculation grew and now things appear to be pointing towards a Lindor to San Diego deal.

Jared Carrabis of Barstool Sports sent one tweet including a gif of Francisco Lindor and several eyeball emoji’s. This does not mean a deal is done or even close to being done. Just that there is a concrete rumor or trade proposal out there and it is very much real.

Some people do not like Barstool Sports and that’s fine, but when it comes to baseball rumors Jared Carrabis can certainly be counted on to be in the loop.

Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger are also rumored to be on the move

Francisco Lindor was not the only player of note to be rumored. Both Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger had their names mentioned, leading to even more speculation. Kluber was already mentioned as being of interest to the Los Angeles Angels. This should not come as as surprise as the Angels need pitching help and Kluber would be reunited with his former pitching coach Mickey Callaway.

Mike Clevinger does not seem like someone that the Indians have to trade. Given his contract status, a trade of Clevinger seems more likely after this season, if we are just going off Cleveland’s previous pattern with trades. Clevinger has two more arbitration eligible years after 2020, which is when Cleveland usually looks to move their players. Although, if the Indians move Clevinger now they could get more for him than Kluber. The only issue on the Indians side of things is that this points towards a full-blown rebuild and not a retool which most expect.

Trade talks are ramping up and moves could come soon

It seems that any trades that the Cleveland Indians are going to make will happen sooner rather than later. When the inevitable happens it will be tough to deal with. Trading a player like Francisco Lindor is never easy. Neither will trading Corey Kluber or Mike Clevinger if they decide to go that route.

When that trade does occur, Cleveland’s front office will have done enough homework to get the best possible deal. Their track record is quite positive in that regard and trades have usually worked out in their favor. They stand firm on their demands. Some call it being difficult. Others call it knowing the value of a player that is in high deman and getting the best return possible, something they have done many times in the past. This isn’t a guarantee that this trade will work out the same way, just that it is worth mentioning that the Indians have been successful in the past with deals that small market teams have to make.

Indians-Angels discussing Corey Kluber

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The Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels have been discussing a trade involving two-time Cy Young Award winningi pitcher Corey Kluber.

There were some rumblings about the Cleveland Indians exploring trade options involving Corey Kluber. This was definitely on the table for the Tribe after picking up his option for 2020. Now there are more concrete rumors that came from the Winter Meetings. The Los Angeles Angels have shown interest in acquiring the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

This appears a direct reaction to not landing Gerrit Cole. The Angels know they need to bolster their rotation and acquiring Corey Kluber could do just that. The Angels are unlikely to spend a lot on the free agent market after signing Anthony Rendon to a large deal. This means that trades are their best option in order to improve their rotation.

On the Indians side of things, this aligns with idea that they are trying to cut payroll yet again. Kluber is due $17 million in 2020 and for a pitcher who experienced an injury plagued and sub-par season in 2019, that’s a big ask. Cleveland is trying to extend their contention window rather than capitalizing on what could be their last shot in 2020. Trading Kluber (and others) may keep them competitive, but not competitive enough to actually win a World Series.

The return for Corey Kluber may not be all that great considering his age (34) and his performance could continue to trend in the wrong direction. Trading Kluber now may be a shortsighted move just to ditch salary rather than capitalize on what he could bring back. In a perfect world the Indians wait for Kluber to rebuild some value during the season and then look to move, maximizing their return. Unfortunately this is not a perfect world. Cleveland will more than likely have to make a move sooner rather than later.

Indians 2020 option decisions made official

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The Cleveland Indians roster moves involving pitchers Corey Kluber and Dan Otero and second baseman Jason Kipnis are now official.

Just what the Cleveland Indians were doing in regards to Corey Kluber, Dan Otero and Jason Kipnis was not a secret. Their intentions with their club options for these players have been well known for some time. These moves have become official Friday, November 1st.

Corey Kluber is the only player who had his club option exercised. Kluber will make $17.5 million in 2020 and will have another club option for 2020 worth $18 million. The performance of Kluber will determine their intentions for 2020. That is as long as Cleveland keeps Kluber and does not trade him before the end of the 2020 season. Although, trade discussions prior to this season are worth exploring.

Jason Kipnis will now be a free agent and is still someone that the Indians should consider bringing back. There is not necessarily a wealth of talent on the infield in the minors that is expected to impact the 2020 season. There will be options in free agency, but nobody that the Indians would spend money on that would make a larger impact than their longtime second baseman.

Dan Otero’s time in Cleveland could not have come to an end any sooner. There was a time where Otero appeared to be a nice bullpen arm. Unfortunately that was 2+ years ago. Otero has been largely ineffective in 86 games over the past two seasons. The fact Cleveland declined an option that is only $1.5 million speaks volumes about Otero’s performance. Cleveland has to rely on bargain bin contracts for certain players and Otero’s option would have qualified as such.