Indians lock up Cy Young winner Corey Kluber with five-year extension
The final weekend before the regular season is usually a busy time for roster moves and last-minute contract agreements. It appears this year will be no different.
In the latest deal, the Cleveland Indians and 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber have reached an agreement on a new five-year extension that will Kluber under Indians control through at least the 2019. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman was the first report the deal was finalized. Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported early Saturday that the extension was expected to be completed before Kluber toed the rubber Monday night in Houston, and that proved to be the case.
Here’s more Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan:
Source: Corey Kluber’s deal with the Indians will be for five years and include two club options.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 5, 2015
In terms of years and options, it’s the exact same extension Yordano Ventura signed with the Kansas City Royals earlier in the day. Financial details on Kluber’s deal have not been released.
Kluber, who turns 29 on April 10, was due to be arbitration-eligible for the first time next offseason. As a Super Two player, Kluber would have been arbitration eligible through the 2019 season, when he would then become a free agent. With the deal finalized, Kluber will offically forgo the arbitration years and up to three years in free agency in exchange for immediate security, which is probably a wise business move considering his late emergence.
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If there’s a time to gamble on your own ability, it’s when you’re young and the arrow is definitively pointing upward. When you’re almost 29 and have one breakout season under your belt, striking while the iron hot and gaining that security becomes much more appealing.
There’s also some appeal for Cleveland, as they’ll be able to control Kluber’s cost rather than watch it explode with one or two more elite seasons. The risks are injury and the possibility last season was closer to Kluber’s peak than a sustainable output. The former applies to all long term contracts. The latter is a coin flip that just about every team would be willing to make, so the Indians aren’t venturing too far out on the limb.
By the way, it’s worth noting that Rosenthal is also reporting the Indians are in extension talks with 28-year-old right-hander Carlos Carrasco. Like Kluber, Carrasco broke out last season posting a 2.55 ERA and a 140/29 K/BB ratio over 134 innings. Over a full season, that would be compariable to Kluber’s 2.44 ERA and 269/51 K/BB ratio over 235 2/3. With that said, Kluber is clearly positioned for the better payday, and it’s possible Carrasco will hold off one more year to strengthen his case.
Either way, these are definitely some interesting and exciting times for Indians fans. The core is set with Kluber, Michael Brantley and several others, now it’s time to see how the talent can lead them.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813