The former two-time CY Young winner, suffered a Teres major muscle strain in 2020 and is said to be progressing well from the injury. Kluber is set to throw a bullpen session in front of teams later in the month for teams showing interest in the starter. Kluber, 34, only threw 1 inning last year in his brief one-year stint with Texas before getting hurt. He currently holds a career 3.16 ERA and is looking to bounce back being only 2 years removed from an all-star season. It’s hard to say if he’ll return to the all-star pitcher he was back in 2018, but you can definitely expect teams to be in on Kluber who are looking for a veteran middle of the rotation arm who will have the ability to deliver competitive innings and a presence in the club house.
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What Kluber will receive is hard to judge until more information comes out after his bullpen session, how his throwing progressions continue to go, and how the market develops. If his sessions look good there could be more teams that enter the mix looking to bolster their rotations. Another possibility is Kluber taking a 1 year contract to try to bet on himself and boost his value, then test free agency next year in a healthier financial market with teams more willing to spend. However given his age I’d find this scenario unlikely. It is certainly an interesting story to follow as the off-season continues to move forward. Rumored teams to have interest at the moment linked to the former ace are the Twins, Red Sox, and Yankees who are all teams that are in need for rotation help. Adding Corey Kluber to their rotations could be a low risk move with a high reward if he can eat up innings and pitch at a level that gives teams the chance to win ball games.
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