Indians: Corey Kluber reportedly traded to the Rangers

The Cleveland Indians have reportedly traded Corey Kluber to the Texas Rangers after nine memorable seasons with the team.

The Cleveland Indians made the decision to retain Corey Kluber this offseason. That didn’t last too long.

The news dropped on this football Sunday that Kluber is being traded to the Texas Rangers.

Wow! What a way to begin a Sunday.

At this point in time we are all waiting to see the return in this deal. Some fans are already complaining about it being a strictly salary-related move. Let’s hold off on the judgment until we see the return.

2019 was the most disappointing year of Kluber’s career as he only made seven starts due to injury. The Indians notoriously have high standards in trades so that should mean his value remained at its previous levels before his rough season.

A year without Kluber is going to be odd. He won his first Cy Young Award way back in 2014 and won his second in 2017. He was a true ace and could be relied upon in any big moment, regular season or postseason.

The move may be the first of many this offseason. Francisco Lindor is the obvious name who could be moved and Mike Clevinger‘s name has even popped up. The return in any deal better help the team win right now or fans may stage a mutiny.

The same goes for this Kluber trade. If it ends up being a move for prospects, and to save money, fans are going to wonder if the team is actually trying to compete in 2020 or if they are just duping us all.

My guess is that the Rangers made such a strong offer, featuring major league talent, that the Indians couldn’t pass it up. It should take something like that for the Indians to move the team’s ace.

It is important to take the whole offseason into account when judging all the moves made. Yet we can’t see into the future so fans will analyze this move nonstop once we get the news of the return.