Corey Kluber available?

[adambr2]

After the DeGrom/Syndergaard mania this year, it sounds like one ace that may actually be available is Corey Kluber.

 

Kluber has an ideal amount of control left for his age being controllable through 2021 for $15, $15.5M, and $16M salaries. Sounds like the Indians may have some market constraints where they would ideally like to shed some payroll. That said, they're not tearing anything down, so they'll want high end talent near the MLB level. So forgot about headlining a deal with anyone but Hiura, and plan on including someone like Burnes, Peralta or Woodruff as well, for starters.

 

Still, if you're totally in the Brewers need to acquire a true ace camp, it does sound like they'll seriously entertain offers.

 

https://www.blessyouboys.com/2018/11/2/18058096/mlb-trade-rumors-cleveland-indians-corey-kluber-carlos-carrasco-edwin-encarnacion

[MadThinker88]

Actually, due to his finishes in the AL Cy Young vote over the past few years, Kluber's salary is higher then stated above.

2019 = $17M

2020 = $17.5M (club option year or buyout of $1M)

2012 = $18M (club option year, no buyout charge that I could find)

 

It's less than what he would get on the open market but not as cheap as the original contract amounts before the various award escalators kicked in ($13.2M, $13.5M and $14M).

[adambr2]

Actually, due to his finishes in the AL Cy Young vote over the past few years, Kluber's salary is higher then stated above.

2019 = $17M

2020 = $17.5M (club option year or buyout of $1M)

2012 = $18M (club option year, no buyout charge that I could find)

 

It's less than what he would get on the open market but not as cheap as the original contract amounts before the various award escalators kicked in ($13.2M, $13.5M and $14M).

 

Thanks, I was going off Spotrac info.

[MadThinker88]

Your raising an interesting target for a trade.

 

I am not saying the Indians would or would not make a deal involving Kluber but if they did it would not be a cheap acquisition in terms of assets (being sent to Cleveland) or salary being absorbed by the acquiring club...

 

When someone else raised the possibility of Carlos Carrasco a month ago I tried to point out that while Carlos has 1 less year of team control he is at a cheaper cost than Kluber and is also at a cheaper cost than Trevor Bauer (with the same length of control).

 

IMHO it would cost more for a team to acquire Carlos than either Kluber or Bauer & none of them would be cheap...

[MrTPlush]

He is available, not for sale. Which means he will cost a massive premium whether he is expensive or not.

[KCBrewerfan34]

He is available, not for sale. Which means he will cost a massive premium whether he is expensive or not.

 

 

The Indians need to cut payroll. it will be interesting to see what they will do.

[MadThinker88]

He is available, not for sale. Which means he will cost a massive premium whether he is expensive or not.

 

 

The Indians need to cut payroll. it will be interesting to see what they will do.

 

I don't believe "cut payroll" is the right phrase. Redistribute their payroll commitments is a better phrase for what is needed.

 

They can afford $55M across 6 players.

Having those 6 players be 3 SP, 2 middle INF & a RP (Kluber, Carrasco, Bauer, Lindor, JRam, & B. Hand) is difficult when another $44+M is tied up in 3 others (Edwin E, Kipnis, & Yonder Alonso) for 2019..

 

Those last 3 have team options for 2020. I'm guessing 3 will not have their options picked up if still in Cleveland at the end of next season.

[sveumrules]

Davies/Domingo would give Cleveland a pair of solid MLB pieces & save them about 14 million bucks.

 

Would obviously have to add another player or two, but it's probably all academic anyway as I don't think Cleveland will end up moving Kluber.

[HiAndTight]

Davies/Domingo would give Cleveland a pair of solid MLB pieces & save them about 14 million bucks.

 

Would obviously have to add another player or two, but it's probably all academic anyway as I don't think Cleveland will end up moving Kluber.

 

 

I don't think the Indians are gonna want two guys who can't crack our staring rotation(this year at least) or a guy who has very little value defensively and MIGHT be a quality big league hitter, but who really isn't "proven" yet.

 

It's kinda like thinking about guys who are solid, but who we also aren't gonna miss much based on last year for a TOR starter.

 

I'm still all in on Patrick Corbin if we don't have to go more than 6 or 150.

[ewitkows]

It would be something like Woodruff or Burnes /Hura/Domingo and one other piece

[adambr2]

The ESPN estimate was Kluber for Hiura + Santana + Peralta.

[MrTPlush]

The ESPN estimate was Kluber for Hiura + Santana + Peralta.

 

If he was younger, I would strongly consider it....going on 33...that is some old years to be banking on.

 

Not sure why one would think you could get him without a premium prospect (Hiura). That is three years of an ace who is still incredibly cheap for his performance. I get he is still pricey, but that chance to add an ace in such a way is like pigs flying. Expensive or not you have to pay up for such an opportunity.

[KeithStone53151]

I always find it interesting trying to value a very good player on an expensive contract in a trade. There is definitely excess value here, but you're also trading for a 33 year old SP which carries some risk of performance drop off. I think a team will either pay a premium for him, or Kluber won't be traded. There are actually a surprising number of teams shopping around elite SP right now. How often are Degrom, Thor, Paxton, Kluber caliber arms available in trade? At the very least, they are getting dangled in hopes of an overpay.

[JosephC]

The ESPN estimate was Kluber for Hiura + Santana + Peralta.

 

I think that's a tad bit high but it's not crazy. Kluber is up there in age but, even assuming a slight decline, probably should be valued at a 5+ WAR performer over the next couple of seasons. Hiura + Santana + maybe someone like Chad McClanahan would be more appropriate. I thought Santana was a real good fit for them 12 months ago and still feel that way today.

 

Big problem for the Brewers would be that this deal cannot be made without a Hiura or Hader being the #1 piece in the deal. Second would be fitting Kluber's contract on the Brewer's payroll. In my mock off-season scenario I had the Brewers not offering arbitration to Schoop and trading Anderson just to get Wilson Ramos on the payroll at 11 million. Adding Kluber probably means also trading Thames and moving his entire salary is probably going to be pretty tough to do. And then after all that, Schoop has not been offered arbitration and there wouldn't be enough money to sign him, Hiura has likely been traded in this deal, there is no money to do any type of significant upgrade at catcher, and the Brewers would be left with only Yelich and Shaw as left-handed bats. Looking at all of this and the Brewers probably have the exact same offensive problems as last year. Attanasio would likely need to bump the payroll to a minimum of 120 million to make this a solid possibility IMO.

[MrTPlush]

I always find it interesting trying to value a very good player on an expensive contract in a trade.

 

I think what is often ignored in this type of situation is the lack of control at that cost. I think people assume, "Well if on the open market right now he would get $30mil~ yearly". So they see it as not that big of a discount. However, in FA you would be handing out 6+ years easily and assured some garbage years. If he was on the open market and was accepting a three year deal he would probably cost more like $40mil a year, not around $30mil.

 

There is something to be said about the lack of control...which usually is a bad thing, but here isn't necessarily so.

[3and2Fastball]

I seriously doubt that Stearns parts with Hiura

[brewmann04]

even though I would love a true #1 I don't see DS making another block buster.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I seriously doubt that Stearns parts with Hiura

 

Agreed - I'm trying to recall whether any of the trades made over the past few years involved a Stearns draft pick, much less one of his 1st rounders...He's used the farm system's holdover prospects from Melvin's tenure as trade capital up until this point. There are still prospects of note, along with young and controllable MLB players Stearns could continue using for acquiring quality MLB talent - I see no reason for Stearns to start shipping out "his guys" this offseason.

 

Hiura isn't going anywhere aside from AAA to Milwaukee over the next year.

[MrTPlush]

I seriously doubt that Stearns parts with Hiura

 

Agreed - I'm trying to recall whether any of the trades made over the past few years involved a Stearns draft pick, much less one of his 1st rounders...He's used the farm system's holdover prospects from Melvin's tenure as trade capital up until this point. There are still prospects of note, along with young and controllable MLB players Stearns could continue using for acquiring quality MLB talent - I see no reason for Stearns to start shipping out "his guys" this offseason.

 

Hiura isn't going anywhere aside from AAA to Milwaukee over the next year.

 

He traded his 2017 3rd rounder KJ Harrison.

 

Not that it matters...he hasn't been around often so hard to draw conclusions. Not sure him not trading any of "his guys" in a bunch of minor trades means anything if he was going after someone major. The Yelich trade I think he traded the guys he did because they were so high risk and didn't have obvious paths onto our team.

[KeithStone53151]

He traded his 2017 3rd rounder KJ Harrison.

 

Not that it matters...he hasn't been around often so hard to draw conclusions. Not sure him not trading any of "his guys" in a bunch of minor trades means anything if he was going after someone major. The Yelich trade I think he traded the guys he did because they were so high risk and didn't have obvious paths onto our team.

 

He also traded them as all were rule 5 eligible if I remember correctly, and 3 for sure would have been snagged in rule 5. All was part of our 40 man crunch. As for the "his guys" thing, I believe Stearns also orchestrated the deal that brought in Isan Diaz. I think the 40 man piece is moreso the driving factor in all the cases of Stearns trading guys from the Melvin era, it just so happens that Melvin guys are 40 man eligible before Stearns guys. And I also doubt that Stearns is trading Melvin guys just to trade them, Stearns and co clearly value players differently than much of the league...and might be polar opposite to how Melvin and co valued players. So naturally he'd be more inclined to trade players that he doesn't value as highly.

[Jopal78]

The Indians are in a payroll bind with 127 million already committed for 2019, not including arbitration to Trevor Bauer and Francisco Lindor. (Their all time high payroll was last year at 134 million) They have plenty of depth in their rotation behind Kluber with Bauer, Clevinger, Carrasco, Shane Bieber etc. They also have an alarming lack of outfielders on their roster. Brantley, Chisenhall, and Melky Cabrera have all filed for free agency, leaving a glut of players with barely a .700 OPS for the outfield. They also lost relievers Cody Allen, Andrew Miller and Oliver Perez to Free Agency.

 

The Brewers by contrast have a surplus of cost controlled outfielders: Santana, Keon Broxton and Trey Stokes, Corey Ray. They also have a 40 man roster crunch and surplus of cheap arms both starters and relievers that could be intriguing: Brandon Woodruff, Junior Guerra, Zach Davies, Taylor Williams, Adrian Houser, Marcos Diplan, Trey Supak.

 

It would be a gut wrencher to ship out the talent to acquire Kluber (Santana, Broxton, Ray, Woodruff, Williams and Guerra hypothetically), but then again two time Cy Young award winners with three years of team control don't become available for trade very often.

[MadScientist]

Seems like a lot for a guy who lets a guy like Suter hit an absolute bomb.

[KCBrewerfan34]

Morosi says we're in it (Corey Ray appealing to the Tribe), obviously others interested in CK. This is the deal DS needs to go extra for as long as Huira and Burnes aren't in the deal.

 

 

Ray, Santana and Peralta along with our CB pick for Kluber??

[PDCBalla]

I said in the other thread that I'd offer Ray, Burnes, Peralta and Thames for Kluber. Yes Peralta and Burnes is a lot. But so was giving up Brinson, Harrison, Diaz, Yamo for the MVP.

[KCBrewerfan34]

Burnes is a "NO" for me. I might stretch to Woodruff. That's a might