MLB Trade Rumours: Corey Kluber off to Texas after Rangers agree mega deal with Indians

Two-time Cy Young Award winner and star pitcher Corey Kluber will play for Texas Rangers in the upcoming season of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Rangers acquired him from Cleveland Indians in a blockbuster deal on Sunday, trading Emmanuel Clase and Delino DeShields for Kluber. The three-time all-star will be joining Texas Rangers after spending most of last season on the bench, recovering from a fractured arm.

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MLB Trade Rumours: Texas Rangers GM has faith in Corey Kluber

Texas Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels has all the faith in the star pitcher. He said that Corey Kluber might have had a lost year, but the 33-year-old is one of the elite pitchers in the game. Daniels said that the time off might have been a blessing in disguise as Kluber had thrown around 418 innings in the previous two years.

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With his nine seasons with the Indians, Corey Kluber went a 98-58 with an ERA of 3.16 and 1461 strikeouts. Last year was the first time the Indians missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Explaining their decision to trade Corey Kluber, Indians president Chris Antonetti said that these were exceedingly tricky deals but were necessary for the clubs.

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Antonetti went on to say that even when they had acquired Corey Kluber, they had traded off an established and popular starting pitcher Jake Westbrook for, at that time, an unheralded pitcher with the San Diego Padres. He added that the success that his team has had in the last seven years could largely be attributed to the talents they had acquired similarly. Antonetti said that even though these trades are painful to make, it helps the team be better moving forward.

MLB: Corey Kluber's Texas connection

On Corey Kluber’s upper back sits a tattoo of a baseball wrapped in a Texas state flag. Kluber attended high school in Coppell, Texas, about 25 minutes from where the Rangers play and it's going to be exciting to see him return to the state he has a connect with. 

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