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JIMMY'S TAKE | Cleveland Indians' trade of Corey Kluber signals team's problems in baseball's current climate

The staff ace is gone, and Francisco Lindor could very well be next.

CLEVELAND — Corey Kluber's Indians career is over. He's now a Texas Ranger.

He's one of the greatest pitchers in Tribe history. A two-time Cy Young Award winner, definitely a No. 1 guy in anybody's rotation. He was a tremendous star, possibly a Hall of Famer.

But what does it signal right now? It signals the problem the Indians are having in today's Major League Baseball climate: They don't have enough money.

$17 million relieved off the payroll with Kluber headed to Arlington. I don't care what they got in return. The biggest thing was they got that money off their books.

Credit: Jonathan Daniel
Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber delivers a throw to home plate against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois on September 24, 2018.

Now the big question: What happens next?

You all know what I mean: How much longer can they hang on to Francisco Lindor? If someone wows them with a deal in the next couple of weeks, should they take it? Won't they take it? We'll wait and see.

Credit: AP
Cleveland Indians' Francisco Lindor bats during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Thursday, July 4, 2019, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

For Kluber, he was gallant, he was great, he was a fantastic Indians pitcher. Good luck to him in Texas.

For the Dolan family, there will be more arguments about them not having the money to own this team. Right now, on this day, that looks like a solid argument.

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