2-time Cy Young winner Kluber visits Guards’ Spring Training

This story was excerpted from Tim Stebbins’ Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — As Guardians pitchers played catch on Field 2 at their player development complex on Tuesday, they did so under the attentive eye of a team legend: Corey Kluber.

Kluber arrived on Sunday for a four-day visit as a guest observer at Guardians Spring Training. It’s the first time the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner has donned a Cleveland uniform since 2019, the final season he pitched for the organization. In recent days, Kluber has been with the pitching staff during its morning workout and with the coaches during bullpen sessions, observing.

Kluber announced his retirement on Feb. 9 last year following his 13 decorated seasons in the Majors, nine of which he spent with Cleveland. Over the past year, he’s pondered ways he might be able to stay involved with baseball, and his appearance in camp is a general step to begin exploring what that could look like. He and the Guardians expect to continue conversations coming out of his visit.

“Nothing is set in stone at this point,” Kluber said. “But I think that I would be excited about the opportunity to kind of explore that here. Obviously, I have very fond feelings for this organization.”

While coaching is likely not a current consideration, Kluber noted he’s interested in “trying to find a way that my experience could provide value to the organization.”

“We’re really looking forward to taking advantage of the four days,” Guardians assistant GM Eric Binder said. “Chat with him on the back end of that, just see where his mind is and [discuss] his experiences in camp. And then building off of that, partner on what that could look like into the future. But it was really exciting to reconnect with him, bring him back and spend some time with us.”

Kluber has talked to some former teammates and coaches about life after a playing career ends and the ways to stay involved with the game. Every experience is unique; everyone has different levels of interest.

“I think that the one constant that I’ve probably had in talking to people is finding something that you enjoy,” he said. “[Something] that you know doesn’t just feel like you’re there to take a job, so to speak, but you’re actually being helpful, being useful.”

Kluber developed into one of the best starters in the Majors after Cleveland acquired him from San Diego on July 31, 2010. His resume includes winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2014 and ’17 and earning a pair of third-place finishes (’16 and ’18). He won the Majors’ ERA title in ’17 (2.25), threw a no-hitter in 2021 and earned three All-Star appearances (‘16-18).

From 2014-18, among pitchers with at least 50 starts, Kluber ranked fourth in the Majors in ERA (2.85) and second in innings (1,091 1/3), behind only Max Scherzer (1,098 2/3). Kluber’s wealth of experience in the big leagues also includes overcoming adversity later in his career to return as a productive starter. He made 31 starts in 2022 with Tampa Bay after he was limited by a right ulna fracture in ‘19, a torn right teres muscle in ’20 and a right shoulder strain in ’21.

“He has such a rich set of experiences, both on the Minor League side and on the Major League side,” Binder said. “When we acquired him, he wasn’t a top prospect. But he was always looking to learn and grow and become a better version of himself, which allowed him to become the pitcher he was, pitching some of our biggest games.

“At the same token, though, he’s been hurt, he’s worked through rehab. He’s worked to become the best version of himself again. … When he was with us as a player, he really set the standard of what it looked like to be a teammate, but then also a professional routine to get the best out of himself.”