Earlier this week, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Cleveland Indians are willing to have trade talks involving Corey Kluber.
It appears one team has taken the Tribe up on their offer.
While most of the rumors involving the Indians coming out of MLB's Winter Meetings have centered around the Los Angeles Dodgers' reported pursuit of Francisco Lindor, it appears Cleveland's talks with another team in Southern California have begun to heat up. According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Angels have "expressed interest in trading for" Kluber, who Cleveland also considered trade offers for last offseason.
As for how serious the talks between the Indians and Angels are and what Cleveland might be receiving in return, that remains to be seen. But it's worth noting that Los Angeles appears to clearly be in win-now mode after signing free-agent third baseman Anthony Rendon to a seven-year, $245 million contract on Wednesday night.
As for Kluber, his age (he'll be 34 at the start of the season) and recent injury history (he only pitched in seven games last season before suffering a fractured forearm and eventually a strained oblique), would likely prevent the Indians from acquiring the Angels' top tier prospects. But Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com pinpointed left-handed pitcher Patrick Sandoval, infielder Luis Rengifo and outfield prospect Trent Deveaux as players the Indians might be interested in.
Sandoval ranks as the No. 8 prospect in the Angels organization, according to MLB.com. In 10 Major League outings last season, he amassed an 0-4 record, 5.03 ERA and 42 strikeouts.
Rengifo, meanwhile, totaled a .238 batting average (.685 OPS), 7 home runs and 38 RBIs in 108 games last season. The switch-hitter possesses the versatility to play either second base or shortstop, which could be appealing to a Cleveland team that may enter the season without Lindor and/or free agent second baseman Jason Kipnis.
As for Deveaux, the 19-year-old currently ranks as the Angels' No. 10 prospect. Appearing in 52 games in the Arizona Rookie League last season, the right-handed hitter amassed a .247 average (.769 OPS),6 home runs and 23 RBIs.