Free agent RHP Corey Kluber and the Boston Red Sox have come to terms on a 1yr/$10M agreement which includes a club option for 2024.
Kluber, 36, will join a rotation that currently includes Chris Sale, and Nick Pivetta, with Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello vying for the final spots.
The Red Sox spent lavishly to remake their bullpen in the offseason inking Kenley Jansen, Joely Rodriguez, and Chris Martin to contracts, however had largely neglected their rotation which was amongst the league’s most disappointing in 2022.
With former starter Nathan Eovaldi signing with the Rangers yesterday, Boston’s already precarious starting corps grew even thinner, necessitating a move by the front office.
Kluber is a 2x Cy Young award winner who spent last season with the Tampa Bay Rays. The 6’4” righty posted a 10-10 record, 4.34 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and struck out 139 batters in 164IP.
While his surface numbers may not turn many heads, Kluber issued only 21 walks last year, giving him the 2nd best K/BB ratio in the American League. Although his fastball velocity has dipped dramatically since his Cy Young winning days with Cleveland, Kluber has transformed his arsenal to rely mostly on cutters and curveballs to keep batters out of rhythm.
The 3x All-Star has long been linked to the Red Sox organization as his family has a home in Winchester, MA which is located roughly 10 miles north of Boston.
With Kluber remaining in the AL East, Boston is likely now in the market for a middle infielder, or possibly a catcher as the calendar prepares to flip to 2023. While the signing now gives Boston 6 arms vying for 5 spots in the rotation (if you count James Paxton who didn’t suit up in 2022 but opted into his contract with Boston earlier this month), it doesn’t necessarily mean the club is done acquiring arms.
Starting pitcher Michael Wacha performed well for the Red Sox in 2022 and is still available via free agency.
Given Kluber, Sale, and Paxton’s ages and injury history, and a lack of MLB starting experience behind them, it may not be the worst idea to add some more depth for their rotation.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.