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.
