Cincinnati Reds: What would it take to trade for Corey Kluber this offseason?

The Cincinnati Reds front office promised this to be the offseason in which they get the starting pitching the team so desperately needs. Today we wonder what the cost of moving Cleveland Indians starter Corey Kluber to the Queen City might be.

The rumor mill has said that the Cleveland Indians are entertaining offers for RHP Corey Kluber and it is entirely possible that the Cincinnati Reds are one of the teams making those offers. The big question is what or, more accurately who, the Reds would have to offer up to trade for Kluber.

Kluber finished third in the American League for the Cy Young Award and he certainly has the stats the Reds are looking for in a starter. The 2018 season was one of his best with a 2.89 ERA and 215 innings pitched. Kluber allowed only 75 runs, 69 earned runs and 25 home runs. He had 222 strikeouts and only walked 34 batters.

Even though Kluber is not the left-handed starter the Cincinnati Reds need against division rivals like the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, Kluber does have a 3.51 ERA against lefty batters. Kluber would unquestionably be an asset to the Reds starting rotation.

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It’s hard to say exactly what positions the Indians may be looking to trade for, but if I’m in their front office I’m going to look at the Reds outfielder Jesse Winker as well as prospects Nick Senzel and Taylor Trammell.

Despite his injury in July, Winker was a key piece of the Reds outfield this season. He was even more valuable at the plate slashing .299/.405/.431. Winker’s bat was sorely missed after his shoulder injury.

Senzel was a first round draft pick in 2016 and remains one of the Reds top prospects. Many fans are anxiously awaiting his call up to Cincinnati because of his outstanding minor league statistics. Though he only saw 44 games this past year due to a season-ending finger injury, Senzel was slashing .310/.378/.509. Definitely someone worth looking at for any potential trades.

Trammell is almost certainly the most valuable prospect the Reds have in their organization. Fantastic minor league numbers led to his selection for the All-Star Futures Game of which he was named MVP. He likely will not debut at least until 2020, possibly 2021, but Trammell should not be overlooked as a trade target.

Cleveland could also inquire about relief pitchers. In all likelihood the Reds will want to hang on to potential starters or two-way players like Michael Lorenzen. However there are several bullpen pitchers who could be added on to a trade.

I would say Sal Romano, David Hernandez, or Jared Hughes are potential trade pieces. Romano made 25 starts for the Reds in 2018 and finished with a 5.31 ERA he was called on several times as a reliever after being moved from the starting rotation. Hernandez and Hughes were the strongest and most reliable pitchers from the Reds bullpen last season with 2.53 and 1.94 respective ERAs.

Any combination of these players could be part of a trade to acquire Corey Kluber; and if he isn’t already Kluber should most definitely be someone the Reds are looking at as a potential addition to the starting rotation in 2019. He would provide some much needed power, consistency, and experience in the Cincinnati Reds rotation that they desperately need.