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Indians: 3 former players who could return to Cleveland

By Steven Kubitza

CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 11: Jason Kipnis #27 of the Chicago Cubs runs out a double off starting pitcher Adam Plutko #45 of the Cleveland Indians during the third inning at Progressive Field on August 11, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 11: Jason Kipnis #27 of the Chicago Cubs runs out a double off starting pitcher Adam Plutko #45 of the Cleveland Indians during the third inning at Progressive Field on August 11, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /
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Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians
Texas Rangers pitcher Corey Kluber (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

1. Corey Kluber

Oh, how the mighty fall. Corey Kluber was a two-time Cy Young Award winner with the Cleveland Indians and remained the ace heading into the 2019 season. Then the injuries struck and he was ultimately traded to the Texas Rangers last offseason.

He appeared in a total of one game and just one inning with Texas before missing the rest of the season with an injury. Now he is a free agent after the Rangers decided he wasn’t worth his $18 million option.

It is tough to gauge Kluber’s value given he has barely been healthy since 2018. Spotrac lists his market value just over $6.5 million annually and that may even be a stretch given the financial limitations caused by COVID-19.

Kluber is someone the Indians can keep an eye on as the offseason progresses. If he can’t find a suitor and his value plummets, he could be someone to bring back on a one-year deal. He will be significantly cheaper than he would have been had the Indians never traded him and it would be a huge win for the front office.

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His resume speaks for itself and the only question is his health. If he looks to have recovered, the Indians may want to take a chance on their former ace.

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