19:37: This is a done deal, pending a physical Mark Feinsand from MLB.com tweets. Clubs earn more than $ 10 million per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
19:27: The Yankees are in the process of concluding a contract with the legal agent with free agent Corey Kluber, According to Jeff Passan from ESPN.com. Details are not yet known. Kluber is a client of Jet Sports Management.
After a few quiet months, the Yankees were definitely active Friday. Hours before the Kluber news broke, they made great strides in re-signing the second star DJ LeMahieu for six years and $ 90MM. The 34-year-old Kluber does not want to engage in those kinds of contracts, but as a two-time winner of the American League Cy Young, he is clearly a striking pickup for a Yankees team that needs help in their rotation.
During his peak years in Cleveland from 2014-18, Kluber averaged about 218 innings per season and combined for a stellar 2.85 ERA / 2.99 SIERA with a pass rate of 28.5 percent and a meager rate of 5.2 percent. There was no reason to expect a decline in 2019, but Kluber has not been the same since. He threw 35 2/3 overs in the first few weeks of that season and was tattooed by conflicting offenses, earning a total of 23 runs on 44 shots and 15 runs (38 hits) against Kluber before breaking a 1 on May 1st. right forearm conceded. This appears to be Kluber’s last outing with Cleveland, exchanging him with the Rangers for relief. Emmanuel Clase and fielder Delino DeShields in December 2019.
Texas was engaged in a rebound effort from Kluber, but received essentially no contributions from him. He threw just one innings last season before going out with shoulder stiffness, and Kluber never took the hill for the Rangers again. The Rangers then refused Kluber’s $ 18MM option for 2021 in favor of a $ 1MM buyout, giving him a free agent. This left Kluber trying to prove to clubs that he was healthy again, and he made the effort on Wednesday with a showcase that the majority of major league teams attended. Kluber’s fast ball reached about 90 km / h during the session, a bit off his typical 91-92 range, but not enough to deter the Yankees.
Now that he’s on his way to the Bronx, Kluber will continue to work with Eric Cressey, director of health and executive Yankees, who – if Joel Sherman of the New York Post notes – supervised the shoulder rehab of the former es. Kluber is also very familiar with Matt Blake, the Yankees coach, Cleveland’s former coordinator and assistant director for pitching development.
More to come.