Relax, Tribe fans: Cy Young winner Kluber isn't going anywhere -- at least not for a while
Right about the time Corey Kluber picks up a baseball to begin his offseason throwing routine, talks about a contract extension will be in high gear.
After winning the AL Cy Young Award on Wednesday, Kluber said that would start throwing again the second week of December, that is also when the Baseball Winter Meetings will be taking place.
Unlike C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee, who were going into the final year of their deals after winning the Cy Young, the Indians have time on their side with Kluber. He isn't arbitration eligible for the first time until 2016 and is expected to have a $550,000 salary next season if an extension isn't reached. Last offseason the Indians agreed to extensions with Michael Brantley, Yan Gomes and Jason Kipnis but when it comes to extensions with pitchers, the organization has had problems.
There are a couple recent extensions that could provide an indication on what both parties should expect. In 2013, Chris Sale and the White Sox agreed to a five-year extension worth $32.5 million. Sale was slated to earn $600,000 in 2013 but got a bump up to $850,000 before making $3.5 million in 2014 and it progressively rising each year. The deal also carried club options for 2018 and '19.
The contract bought all three years where he was slated to be arbitration eligible as well as his first year of free agency with the options on the following two years. Sale though was 24 and Kluber is 28. He will turn 29 on April 10, which happens to be the Tribe's home opener against Detroit.
It is likely that an extension with Kluber would be five years that would include all of his arbitration years and his first year of free agency. That would carry Kluber until he was 34 and the risk of injuries with pitchers is higher. Or they could do a four-year extension covering 2015 and all three of his arbitration years with a club option on his first year of free agency in 2019.
"The thing that is most encouraging is he will lead this staff for the foreseeable future. You can't have a better guy setting the standard with his preparation," general manager Chris Antonetti said. "To have that guy at the front of the staff is a great example throughout the organization."
When he does get to spring training, one of the things Kluber said he wants to work on is his changeup. Toward the end of the season, he was using it typically only four percent of the time.
Pitching coach Mickey Callaway added that he has already been in contact with Tim Belcher, Charles Nagy and Jason Bere -- guys in the organization who logged a lot of innings as starters -- on the best way for Kluber to prepare for the upcoming season during spring training.
