San Diego Padres: Corey Kluber dubbed as “one that got away”

At the time of the trade, Corey Kluber was an unknown prospect. I bet the San Diego Padres would like a do-over if given the chance.

Drafted in the fourth round of the 2007 MLB Draft, Corey Kluber was a bit of an unknown prospect when he was dealt as part as a three-team trade that ultimately sent Ryan Ludwick to the San Diego Padres.

MLB put together its list of players who got away from their respective clubs, and naturally, Kluber was pegged as that guy for the Friars.

Kluber, of course, was promoted to the Indians in 2013 and earned the AL’s Cy Young Award the following year. He led the AL with 34 starts and the league with 18 wins. Kluber posted a 2.44 ERA and struck out 269 batters in 235.2 innings.

And exactly why a pitcher’s record means very little, he went 9-16 in 2015 despite posting a 3.49 ERA and tossing four complete games. 2016 was the first of three consecutive All-Star bids for Kluber, which included a trip to the World Series.

Following the 2016 season, Kluber, again, won the Cy Young Award in 2017, leading the AL with a 2.25 ERA and striking out 265 batters in 203.2 innings.

The Padres were not very good when Kluber hit his stride, but had he performed the same in San Diego, there might have been more incentive to acquire additional pieces to make a run at the postseason.

Ludwick played just 1.5 seasons at the big league level before being traded to the Pirates in 2011. In 160 games, he hit .228 with 17 home runs.