Cleveland Indians, Corey Kluber making progress in extension talks

Looking to lock up the reigning American League Cy Young winner long-term, the Cleveland Indians are making progress in extension talks with Corey Kluber.

The Cleveland Indians were forced to trade both of their last two Cy Young award winners when they couldn’t come to terms on long-term extensions for C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee. However, they have no intention of getting to that point with 2014 American League Cy Young winner Corey Kluber.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Indians are Kluber have been engaged in extension talks throughout the spring, and they appear to be making some progress as Opening Day approaches.

Sources: #Indians, Kluber still talking extension. Some progress, but difficult to predict whether deal gets done by Opening Day.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 2, 2015

The two sides have a deadline in place for Opening Day, with both parties looking to avoid the distraction of contract negotiations during the season. With Kluber eligible for arbitration for the first time after the 2015 season, the Indians are looking to lock him up under a team-friendly deal before he hits his arbitration years with a Cy Young award and possibly a second dominant season in his pocket.

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Of course, there is little precedent in place for a pitcher who posts his first solid season in the Major Leagues at the age of 28, but that’s exactly what Kluber did last season when he went 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA, a 2.35 FIP, and struck out 269 batters in 235.2 innings of work in 2014. Given the lack of track record, and the fact that he will emerge from his three arbitration years on the wrong side of 32, the Indians may be better off allowing Kluber to go year-to-year in order to see how he maintains his performance during his prime.

At the same time, Kluber may want to push the envelope a bit and try to get something done quickly. By buying out his arbitration years, and perhaps a year of free agency, Kluber will acquire financial security for each year of the deal, rather than rely on arbitration (and his performance) to dictate his salary from year-to-year. Given his lack of track record, he may not emerge from arbitration with a sizable deal, especially when he’ll hit free agency at 32, when pitchers are less likely to find long-term, bank-breaking deals.

Should the Indians and Kluber be unable to find common ground, the Indians could shop Kluber after the season, utilizing his 3-plus years of team control to garner a sizable return, just as they did with Sabathia and Lee before him. Of those deals, the Indians still have Carlos Carrasco (from the Lee trade), who is expected to be in the rotation this year, and Michael Brantley (from the Sabathia deal), who finished 3rd in the American League MVP voting last season. Needless to say, there is an ability to turn pitching into usable commodities down the road.

For now though, the team will continue to negotiate with its ace in hopes of building around him for the next several seasons.

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