Corey Kluber likes it here, and the Boston Red Sox need to improve their pitching staff.
That much we know.
Former MLB pitcher C.J. Nitkowski on Tuesday named the free-agent pitcher as a player who could help the Red Sox achieve a “quick turnaround” under re-hired manager Alex Cora. Kluber’s New England connection and potential return to health might make him an attractive option for Boston in free agency.
“In the case of the Red Sox, a quick turnaround is a real possibility,” Nitkowski said MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM. “And I think you bring back Alex Cora, not to kind of nurse this team along for another year but to try to get them back to contention right away. So then the question is: where do you go?
“Starting pitching is absolutely one of those (priorities). There are going to be options out there, but I wondered about Corey Kluber. After he got hurt, he makes his home in Boston, in Massachusetts. But he’s up in that area. And you talk about potentially a one-year guy that you bring in who can be a huge difference-maker. I know he’s coming off injury, but they said he’s throwing. He could be back to at least being healthy again.
“That’s the kind of piece that they could bring in. There’s probably some trades to be had. It might not take much for them to bring a couple of starters in, get that bullpen a little solidified and they’re right back in this thing.”
Kluber’s resume includes Cy Young Awards he won in 2014 and 2017 with the Cleveland Indians. However, it also includes recent gaps: The broken forearm he suffered May 1, 2019 cost him the rest of that season, and he only threw one inning in 2020 due to a tear in his shoulder muscle.
After finishing last in the American League East division last season, the Red Sox will explore a range of options aimed at bolstering their pitching corps and returning to the postseason after two years away. If Kluber is nearby, it might be worth having a chat with him.
