The Yankees have reportedly signed the veteran right-hander to a one-year deal.
The busiest day of the offseason for the New York Yankees began with the re-signing of DJ LeMahieu and ended with the signing of starting pitcher Corey Kluber.
Right-hander Corey Kluber and the New York Yankees are finalizing a deal that will bring the two-time AL Cy Young winner to the Bronx, pending a physical, sources familiar with the agreement tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 16, 2021
Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the deal is for one year and will be worth $11 million.
The Yankees will need to make a couple moves to officially bring back LeMahieu and add Kluber. New York’s 40-man roster was already at 40, meaning two players will have to be cleared for the veteran additions.
Kluber, 34, spent the first nine years of his career with the Cleveland Indians before being traded to Texas, where he spent just one season and had it rough.
While in Cleveland, Kluber was one of the best pitchers in baseball. In 208 games he had a 3.16 ERA, 1,461 strikeouts, 134 ERA+, 2.99 FIP, and 1.086 WHIP. He won the AL Cy Young Award twice and finished third in voting twice, as well.
He finished seventh in AL MVP voting in 2017 and was a three-time All-Star. He led the AL in wins and FIP in 2014 and in ERA+ and FIP again in 2016.
The best year of his career came in 2017 when he led the league in wins, ERA, ERA+, and WHIP and led the AL in H/9, and BB/9.
While with Texas, Kluber pitched a grand total of one inning before heading to the IL with a torn teres major muscle. He became a free agent after the Rangers declined his $18 million option.
Kluber has had trouble staying healthy over the past few seasons, and that’s why the Yankees’ decision to sign him can be deemed to be a risk. However, according to Joel Sherman, the Yankees have a good idea of the level of risk they’re assuming.
#Yankees always had a HUGE edge in knowledge with Kluber. Eric Cressey is overseeing Kluber’s rehab from a shoulder injury that kept him to 1GS last yr and Cressey is also the #Yankees director of health and performance.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 16, 2021
The Yankees saw James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka walk this offseason, and, with Luis Severino still recovering from Tommy John surgery, the rotation had significant holes that needed to be filled.
They needed to make a move and if Kluber can stay healthy, he’d be a perfect middle-of-the-rotation guy for them. Even with the addition of Kluber the rotation still isn’t in great shape, so the Yankees will desperately need him to stay healthy.
