MLB Roundup 1/16: Corey Kluber trade rumors are back

The Kluber Trade Rumors are back

Earlier in the offseason one of the bigger stories around the league were that the Indians were preparing to trade either Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer this winter despite the fact that they are right in the middle of their contention window with one of the best one-two position player punches in the league. With Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez in their prime, it would seem that a team would want to keep as much talent around them as possible, but apparently not. Those rumors stuck around for a while, but it had been a bit since we’d heard anything on that front and it appeared Cleveland decided to come to its senses and keep as much intact as possible. That is, until this week. Now, the Kluber rumors are back, though not too substantially. Still, there are some rumors of discussions between Cleveland, Cincinnati and San Diego about a three-way deal that would send Kluber to the Reds and Reds top prospect Nick Senzel to San Diego. This rumor makes no sense, in no small part because it’s entirely unclear what in the world the Indians would get out of this. If Senzel could be had for Kluber — and he probably can’t — then wouldn’t Cleveland just make that trade? If there’s anything to take away from this, it’s A) there is nothing happening in baseball right now and B) the Indians may really be trying to trade Kluber again. That second part would be wild, because the AL Central may not be as easy as it has been in the last couple of years.

The Phillies are still (maybe) talking a big game

Since the start of the offseason, and even before that, the Phillies have been the team poised to improve the most. After a substantial rebuild during which they dramatically cut payroll, Philadelphia is now poised to spend all of that cash they saved as they are ready to contend. Prior to the winter, they came out and said they were ready to spend “stupid money,” a jarring quote in today’s league’s landscape. They’ve made a few moves to this point, signing Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson and trading for Jean Segura, but with names like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado still available, the Phillies could do more. On Tuesday, Bob Nightengale of the USA Today reported that some in the Phillies organization see them signing Harper, Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel. Later, he said there’s a chance they sign both Harper and Machado. I don’t think they’ll get all four of the names listed there, and this information is likely all coming from the players’ side, but the Phillies are going to make some splashes before this offseason is over. The Kimbrel snippet is what matters most to Red Sox fans right now, but I think at this point we just want something to happen on that front so we can know in which direction the Red Sox are moving. More than anything, it would be nice if something — anything — happened this winter.