Trade rumors around Cleveland Indians pitchers Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer continue to swirl.
The Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly remain interested in acquiring either right-handed pitcher, and trade talks between the two clubs have been “serious,” according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, with the Indians asking for a massive haul in return for either starter.
The Chicago White Sox shipped Sale out to Boston 2016, getting a four-player haul in return for the lefty ace from the Red Sox that included Yoan Moncada, the No. 2 prospect in baseball at the time and MLB-ready, and flame-throwing prospect Michael Kopech, along with Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz.
Morosi also reported that the closer spring training nears, the less likely it is Kluber would be moved in a trade.
Kluber, 32, is a certifiable ace, posting a 2.89 ERA with 222 strikeouts and 34 walks and a 0.99 WHIP in 215 innings last season. He finished in the top three in American League Cy Young voting four out of the last five years, winning the award in 2014 and 2017. Bauer, 28, is coming off a breakout campaign, striking out 221 in 175 1/3 innings.
Whether or not the Dodgers can put together a package that would get the Indians’ interest remains to be seen, but the thought of a three-headed monster rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and either Kluber or Bauer certainly would put L.A. in a favorable spot to return to the World Series for a third straight season.
