And that as they say, is that. Corey Kluber’s career as a Cleveland Indian comes to a close on Sunday, with the Texas Rangers trading their 30th overall prospect and Delino Deshields Jr. to get Kluber. Equally important, the Indians kicked in some cash as a nice gesture in the cost-cutting move.
BREAKING: The Texas Rangers are in the final stages of completing a trade to acquire two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber from the Cleveland Indians, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 15, 2019
OF Delino DeShields Jr. and RHP Emmanuel Clase heading to #Indians for Kluber, source tells The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 15, 2019
Here’s what the Texas general manager Jon Daniels has to say about Kluber:
“Last year was a lost year for him, but the reasons for it [the injuries], they don’t give us pause. And in some ways, the time off may have been something of a blessing. He’d thrown a lot of innings over the last couple of years. It may have given him some time to reset.”
And while Clase is a 21-year old reliever who headlines the deal for the Indians, it sounds like he throws really hard. Via Get More Tribe, check out this tweet:
Emmanuel Clase, the #Rangers No. 28 prospect brought the 🔥 in his #MLB debut. The first four pitches he threw …
99.7 mph
99.7 mph
101.1 mph
100.9 mph pic.twitter.com/cX9uWA1Un8— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 4, 2019
A lot of Indians fans are unhappy about this – and they have every right to be – but I think Kluber may have something physically wrong with his back. Remember, last off-season the Indians wanted to trade Kluber and he was dangled for prospects like Alex Verdugo.
To me, they seemed a little too willing to move him. Now, could this have been because they are privy to his medical records, and know something that opposing teams don’t?
Time will tell, but Kluber wraps up an unforgettable run with Cleveland on a quiet and forgettable Sunday during football season just a few weeks before Christmas. The Indians are headed towards a definite rebuild, and this was just the first domino to fall.
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