Report: Rangers Acquire Corey Kluber From Indians
The Rangers bolstered their rotation on Sunday, acquiring RHP Corey Kluber from the Cleveland Indians, pending a physical.
Kluber missed most of the 2019 season with a forearm injury and an oblique strain. In his nine-year career, all with Cleveland, Kluber is 98-58 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He's finished in the top-three in Cy Young voting four times in his career, and won the award twice in 2014 and 2017.
Texas is sending Delino DeShields Jr. and Emmanuel Clase to Cleveland as the return in the trade.
Kluber is owed $17.5 million in 2020 and has a club option for $18 million in 2021. Cleveland will not be retaining any salary, so Texas is responsible for the full amount of the remaining contract, including a $1 million trade kicker included in Kluber's contract.
The Rangers clearly looked to bounce back after missing out on Anthony Rendon. Adding Kluber gives Texas, when healthy, one of the best rotations in the American League. Don't expect the Rangers to be done making moves. They still need to address third base, catcher, and potentially first base, and maybe even center field now.
Danny Santana would be the obvious choice to play center field as the roster is now. The organization has been pretty adamant that they don't see Joey Gallo as an every day option for center field.
We'll have more on this story as it develops.
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