MLB Rumors: Corey Kluber's Yankees Contract Wasn't Highest Offer SP Received

Corey Kluber reportedly took a discount to sign his one-year contract with the New York Yankees. 

ESPN's Buster Olney reported the $11 million pact was not the highest offer Kluber received after his January workout, though he did not indicate which teams were interested.

The two-time Cy Young winner has been limited to eight starts over the last two seasons because of injury.

The Yankees have sought lower-cost options to bolster their rotation as they seek to avoid the competitive balance tax. Adding Kluber and trading for Jamison Taillon added only $13.3 million to their payroll, and both have high upside considering their performance level when healthy.

Kluber went 20-7 with a 2.89 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 2018, his most recent healthy season. He was an All-Star for the third time and finished third in the Cy Young voting, the fourth time he's had a top-three finish for pitching's most coveted award.

Despite injuries derailing what was shaping up to be a potential Hall of Fame career, Kluber said he's fully healthy heading into 2021. 

"I don't have a mindset that I need to prove myself to anyone, so to speak," Kluber told Jesse Rogers of ESPN earlier this month before signing with the Yankees. "I just need to show people that I'm healthy. I'm not putting pressure on myself to go out there and do X, Y and Z. It's just about showing teams I'm progressing through a normal offseason."

Even with Kluber's optimism, the Yankees should still likely explore adding another, more reliable arm. Between Kluber, Taillon, Luis Severino and Domingo German (domestic violence suspension), four of the top starters behind Gerrit Cole next season combined for one appearance in 2020.