ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber and the Tampa Bay Rays finalized an $8 million, one-year free-agent contract on Wednesday.
The deal also includes an additional $5 million in incentives
The 35-year-old Kluber went through his third consecutive injury-impacted season in 2021, going 5-3 with a 3.83 ERA in 16 starts for the New York Yankees.
The right-hander, who won the Cy Young Award with Cleveland in 2014 and 207, threw a no-hitter for the Yankees at Texas last May 19 and then made one more start before missing three months with a shoulder injury.
“Kluber was a priority target for us at the start,” Tampa Bay president of baseball operations Erik Neander said.
Kluber was limited to seven starts and 35 ⅔ innings during his last year with Cleveland in 2019, and just one inning with Texas in 2020 due to forearm and shoulder injuries.
Tampa Bay’s rotation includes 24-year old Shane McClanahan and 21-year old Luis Patiño.
“The experiences that he’s had in this game, the accomplishments he’s had in this game, we often speak about how beneficial it is to have someone with those types of credentials, that type of resume around younger, impressionable players and talent, there aren’t many,” Neander said. “There aren’t many that are a better example for young players than Corey Kluber. So we’re really excited about that.”
The Rays were one of the teams that expressed significant interest in Kluber a year ago before he signed an S11 million, one-year deal with the Yankees.
Kluber has a career record of 103-61 with a 3.19 ERA in 225 games, including 220 starts.
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