Cincinnati Reds: What a trade for Corey Kluber might have looked like

The Cleveland Indians shipped Corey Kluber out of town on Sunday. While not involved in talks, what might a trade of Kluber to the Cincinnati Reds have looked like?

On Sunday, the Cleveland Indians executed a trade that sent two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber to the Texas Rangers. While the Cincinnati Reds were not involved in trade talks for Kluber this offseason, last winter saw plenty of rumored trades between the Reds and Indians. What might a deal that sent Kluber to Cincinnati have looked like?

Oftentimes, after a trade is made, fans sit back and debate why their team wasn’t involved, or who might have been given up to land said player. After Cleveland dealt Kluber, a three-time All-Star to the Lone Star State, we now have a better idea of what the market was for the right-hander.

The Reds were constantly mentioned as a possible landing destination for Kluber last offseason. With Cleveland looking to unload salary, and shipping players like Edwin Encarnacion and Yan Gomes out of town, Kluber was definitely in play. Cincinnati eventually settled for Kluber’s teammate, Trevor Bauer, and found other pieces to solidify their rotation.

This year, the Cleveland Indians were in a similar boat, looking to unload more salary once again. Ditching the 34-year-old Kluber’s $35.5M over the next two years is a step in that direction. In return, the Indians picked up outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. and pitcher Emmanuel Clase.

DeShields Jr. is an average player at best. He slashed .249/.325/.347 with 4 home runs and 32 RBIs last season for Texas. Where he fails at the plate, DeShields Jr. excels in the field. The 27-year-old had 17 defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs, over the past three seasons while playing center field for the Rangers.

The 21-year-old Clase is an intriguing prospect, but ranked only No. 30 in the Rangers farm system according to MLB Pipeline. He does, however, throw a 101-MPH cutter that has scouts raving. Clase went 2-3 last season with a 2.31 ERA in 21 appearances.

So, theoretically, what might the Cincinnati Reds have had to give up in order to land Corey Kluber. Seems to me like the Reds could’ve sent Phillip Ervin and Ryan Hendrix to Cleveland and closed the deal. In all honesty, based on what the Indians received in return, that may have been an overpay.

Perhaps, the Reds could’ve surrendered the newly acquired Travis Jankowski instead of Ervin. The 28-year-old, received in a trade with the San Diego Padres earlier this offseason, is a defensive-minded outfielder, similar to DeShields Jr. Jankowski and a reliever like Hendrix or the hard-throwing Joel Kuhnel could’ve enticed Cleveland to make a deal.

But, alas, Corey Kluber is headed to the Texas Rangers and the Cincinnati Reds are still on the lookout for one more starter to fill out their 2020 rotation. The Reds have been rumored to be after the likes of Madison Bumgarner and David Price, and were in on Zack Wheeler and Tanner Roark before they signed with their new teams.