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Yankees reportedly sign two-time Cy Young Corey Kluber

CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 06: Corey Kluber #28 of the Cleveland Indians in the dugout prior to the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field on April 06, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the Blue Jays 7-2. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 06: Corey Kluber #28 of the Cleveland Indians in the dugout prior to the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field on April 06, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the Blue Jays 7-2. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

The Yankees are signing Corey Kluber. It’s happening.

The Corey Kluber buzz moved quickly on Friday, as soon as the Yankees signed DJ LeMahieu officially after months of posturing.

Huh. Fancy that.

Observers though this must be a good sign for the Yanks’ pursuit of the two-time Cy Young winner, and the soothsayers were proven correct on Friday evening.

MLB insider Jeff Passan — prompted by Jake Storiale of Jomboy Media — announced that Kluber and the Yankees were finalizing a pact, pending physical, before the weekend even began. Consider the hot stove ignited.

Kluber is coming off a Texas Ranger career that unfortunately lasted just one inning, finished by a small shoulder tear, and his last year in Cleveland was marred by freak injury — namely, a fracture caused by a line drive.

But the righty affectionately known at The KluBot’s most recent full season was a Cy-caliber campaign in The Land; he went 20-7 with a 2.89 ERA in 215 innings (222 whiffs) in 2018 before he suffered through two pockmarked campaigns.

Most of MLB observed the righty’s showcase on Wednesday and came away impressed; though his velocity topped out around 90, it was largely agreed that he’d kick that velo up as the spring approached. Reliever Steve Cishek pronounced Kluber all the way back in interviews after the performance wrapped.

In order to feel completely confident about where their rotation is at the moment, the Yankees are going to have to either trade for a projectable piece (Joe Musgrove or Jameson Taillon?) or sign another trusted arm (Masahiro Tanaka, anyone?).

But Kluber is the team’s only shot at a No. 2 type, outside of trading for Luis Castillo or Kyle Hendricks, and the last full season he spent on a big-league mound was cast in brilliance.

According to sources, the deal is for around $10 million, presumably plus incentives. After every arbitration agreement the Yankees came to on Friday night, they only had around $15 million remaining before passing the luxury tax.

If we didn’t know better, we’d say the parameters of this deal indicate New York just might be willing to pass that threshold.

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