CLEVELAND — Has Corey Kluber, a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, thrown his last pitch with the Cleveland Indians?
Well, according to reports from The Athletic’s Robert Murray, the answer to that question is all signs are pointing to yes.
Murray reported late Saturday night that “Kluber’s trade market is heating up, sources say. Angels, Padres, others have checked in” with the Indians on what it would take to facilitate a deal for the front-of-the-rotation starter on a team-friendly contract for potentially the next two years.
With top-line starters Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole reaching agreements on record-setting contracts with the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees, respectively, the trade market for other top pitchers is starting to heat up.
Despite suffering a broken bone in his throwing arm in May, an injury that spoiled much of the 2019 season, trading for Kluber could be an attractive prospect for teams around the league because of his contract’s affordability.
Currently, Kluber is under contract for one more season before the option years come into play. He is due $17.2 million in 2019 and has club options for $17.5 million (2020) and $18 million (2021). Kluber increased his base salary for 2019 to $17 million because of a $4 million escalator clause that he reached in 2018.
A two-time American League Cy Young Award winner and four-time finalist, Kluber was out of the lineup since May 1 when he suffered a broken ulna in his pitching arm after being struck by a line drive in a start against the Miami Marlins. Kluber suffered the injury in the fifth inning of his seventh start of the season, but prior to the broken bone, he struggled with consistency.
Kluber had a 2-3 record with a 5.80 earned run average and allowed 44 hits, 26 runs, four home runs and 15 walks against 38 strikeouts in 35.2 innings of work before suffering the injury that kept him away for the balance of the season.
Despite the struggles in 2019, Kluber is not far removed from making a positive impact on playoff teams.
In his 33 starts in 2018, Kluber posted a 20-7 record and registered 222 strikeouts against just 34 walks, 179 hits and 69 earned runs allowed over 215.0 innings of work while anchoring a pitching staff that led the way to the Indians’ third consecutive AL Central Division Championship.
Opposing batters hit just .223 against Kluber during the 2018 season.
The AL Cy Young Award winner in both 2014 and 2017, Kluber won four games in three different months during the 2018 season, starting with an 8-1 slate through April and May. Additionally, Kluber posted a 4-1 record over his six August starts.
An AL All-Star for the third consecutive time (2016-2018), Kluber posted an 8-2 record in 13 starts following the 2018 Mid-Summer Classic. Over 81.1 innings pitched, Kluber struck out 90 batters and walked only 17 while cutting down on his home runs allowed.
Along with being a Cy Young Award finalist, Kluber was named a finalist for the 2018 AL Gold Glove Award after recording 19 putouts and 13 assists with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Kluber has posted a 98-58 record with a 3.16 earned run average in 208 games, including 203 starts, over parts of nine seasons with the Indians. Over nine starts in five career postseason series, Kluber has posted a 4-3 record with a 3.97 earned run average and 47 strikeouts over 45.1 innings of work.