Corey Kluber is headed to one of the Yankees’ division rivals, reportedly signing a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Ken Rosenthal.
The deal has a base salary of $8 million, per the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, with Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reporting that the deal could be worth up to $13 million if Kluber hits every incentive in the contract.
Kluber, 35, signed a one-year, $11 million deal with the Yankees last season after a workout at Eric Cressey’s facility, and he went 5-3 with a 3.83 ERA in 80 innings over 16 starts. He did throw a no-hitter in Texas in May, but left his next start after three innings with shoulder tightness and ended up missing three months with a right shoulder strain.
The righty struggled down the stretch after returning, posting a 5.40 ERA in his final six starts, and he completed six innings just five times in 18 starts.
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Kluber was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball in his nine seasons in Cleveland, posting a 3.16 ERA and winning two AL Cy Young Awards, but he made just seven starts in 2019 after suffering a broken forearm and then a lat strain during his rehab, and he threw just one inning for Texas in 2020 before being lost for the year with a shoulder injury.
The Rays were one of the teams in on Kluber prior to last season, as well, before he signed with New York.
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