Corey Kluber excited to join Texas Rangers. More important, he says he’s healthy
A broken arm caused by a line drive and an oblique strain that can happen to any pitcher wrecked Corey Kluber’s 2019 season and threw into question his health as he heads from the Cleveland Indians to the Texas Rangers.
He has an answer for all those concerned that the Rangers are getting a broken-down former two-time American League Cy Young winner instead of the staff ace who has boosted the team’s 2020 outlook a week after missing out on free-agent third baseman Anthony Rendon.
Don’t worry about it.
“I feel really good right now,” said Kluber, who made only seven starts in 2019. “Instead of having to start off this off-season trying to recover from a season past and manage that, I think I’ve had the opportunity to hit the ground running once the off-season started.
“I feel like I’ve gotten in a lot of really good work, both in the weight room and throwing, to this point. It’s cliche to say it, but I feel good and I’m excited about where I’m at physically right now.”
He and the Rangers view not logging 30-plus starts or pitching in the postseason as a hidden positive from what was an aggravating season otherwise. Kluber wants to compete, and he couldn’t do that as the Indians saw their three-year reign atop the American League Central end.
Not having Kluber contributed to that. The Rangers say the addition of Kluber, along with fellow right-handers Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles plus holdovers Lance Lynn and Mike Minor, give them a chance to contend.
Granted, work remains this off-season. A third baseman is the priority, after Rendon took a seven-year offer from the Los Angeles Angels, and general manager Jon Daniels has kicked some tires on first basemen, center fielders and catchers.
“We’ve got to put some finishing touches on the club,” Daniels said. “Sitting here in December, I certainly feel better about the rotation than I have in some time.”
Kluber said he is excited to join the team he grew up watching while living in Coppell and attending Coppell High School. He was born in Alabama, went to college in Flordia and lives in Boston, so he doesn’t have many ties to the Metroplex any more.
He likes pitching with the offensive support the Rangers traditionally boast, and he isn’t concerned about the unknown park factors as the Rangers move into Globe Life Field.
The idea of pitching along side Lynn and Minor, the only left-hander in the projected rotation, appeals to him after they finished fifth and eighth in Cy Young voting last season.
The Rangers didn’t like seeing center fielder Delino DeShields and right-handed reliever Emmanuel Clase go to Cleveland, but they understand the impact Kluber could make on their team and already has made on their mindset.
“When you look at our arms, it’s five really solid arms,” right fielder Joey Gallo said. “That’s going to give us a chance to win no matter what. If we can add a bat or two, we’re really going to have a solid team.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 1:53 PM.
