Houston Astros Rumors: Three ways to add another ace starting pitcher

Corey Kluber, RHP, Cleveland Indians

Corey Kluber was about as late of a bloomer as they come. He didn’t really break into the league until his age 27 season. He didn’t break out until his age 28 season when he captured his first Cy Young award.

Ever since then, Kluber has been one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball. Not only has he been dominant, but he has also been an incredible stalwart headlining Cleveland’s staff. Kluber has averaged 229 innings per season over the past five seasons and been a true ironman.

In spite of his personal heroics and the success of the team, Cleveland has placed both Kluber and Carlos Carrasco on the trade block in an attempt to shed some salary so they can reallocate that money to stay competitive. The Houston Astros should be one of the teams calling on Kluber.

Any team that adds Kluber will be him for at least one year but more than likely three years. He has a club option for the 2020 and 2021 seasons that will pay him $15.5 and $16 million. So, Cleveland will, and rightfully so, be seeking top dollar for their longtime ace.

Aside from his ability to go well over 200 innings per season, Kluber has a career 3.09 ERA with three seasons of an ERA below 3.00 in three of the last five seasons. He also has a career 1.07 WHIP, including two seasons with a WHIP below 1.00. Additionally, Kluber has also averaged more than 9 strikeouts per nine innings the past five seasons in a row.

Cleveland likely would want outfield and pitching prospects in return for Kluber as they’re set in the infield for the most part. They could potentially want a corner infielder as well, though their number two prospect could land in either corner.

Tucker would likely have to be involved in a deal for Kluber because of his pedigree and years of service left on his contract. Pairing him with guys like Abraham Toro, Jairo Solis, and maybe even AJ Reed could intice Cleveland in surrendering Kluber.