Los Angeles Dodgers Have Not Forgotten About Corey Kluber

The Los Angeles Dodgers initially sent feelers out back in November that they were interested in Cleveland Indians pitcher Corey Kluber. Though nothing transpired between then until now, it seems that both teams may be undergoing negotiations once more.

Kluber's name was once again mentioned following the seven-player trade between the Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds. According to Michael Duarte of NBC Los Angeles, he would not be surprised if the 32-year-old would be the next target for Los Angeles.

The reason behind this is because Kluber is seen as a natural fit for the Dodgers. They are in need of another high-end starter, and dislodging some of the outfielders would benefit the Indians. Assuming it is in the works, who would the Dodgers dangle for Kluber?

CBS Sports suggested Alex Verdugo as the likely trade chip of the Dodgers. He is ranked as the 32nd best prospect by MLB.com and is considered one of the best pure hitting prospect in baseball. So far, he has spent the last two seasons in Triple-A and has authored a .321/.389/.452 batting line. Also, Jon Morosi of MLB.com bared that the Indians are interested in the 22-year-old player.

Kluber posted a 20-7 record to go along with a 2.89 ERA and 222 strikeouts in 33 games. He won his second American League Cy Young Award of his career in 2017 and was a finalist in 2018.

And if the Dodgers are bent on getting him, they will need to act fast. Apparently, there are other teams in the mix who are interested in signing the 32-year-old pitcher. These are Reds, Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Kluber has three years remaining on his five-year contract worth $38 million, an extension that he signed back in 2015. Together with Trevor Bauer, both have been mentioned in trade rumors for a couple of months now, Sporting News reported.

It remains to be seen if anything gets done in the coming days. The Dodgers recently pulled off a trade, sending Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Kyle Farmer and Alex Wood to the Reds. In exchange, they landed Homer Bailey alongside two prospects. Unfortunately, Bailey will eventually be released, according to the same report from Sporting News.

Dealing off Kluber will depend on the Indians' payroll issues. It was reportedly one of the reasons why Cleveland had considered trading Kluber and Bauer, but since they were able to cut it down, only a significant trade chip may trigger that deal with the Dodgers. Could Verdugo be enough to seal the deal?