X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Corey Kluber to the Rays - Fantasy Impact

SP Corey Kluber has signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2022 MLB season. Jacob Taylor analyzes Kluber's fantasy baseball value with the move and ADP at starting pitcher.

The starting pitching market has been on fire early in the off-season. The veteran starting pitchers have been no exception.

Former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber signed a one-year, eight million dollar contract on November 27th with the Tampa Bay Rays. The veteran moves south but stays in the AL East after spending 2021 with the New York Yankees where he had some bright moments which included a no-hitter. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury and that, combined with his advanced age, kept his price down this off-season.

Let's look under the hood to see what Kluber has to offer in fantasy baseball now that he moves to Tampa.

 

A Deeper Look At Corey Kluber

Corey Kluber was one of the most interesting pitchers on the free-agent market this off-season. Kluber managed to finish 2021 with a 3.83 ERA, 3.85 FIP, and 4.38 xFIP which was good for a 1.5 WAR. However, he was limited to just 80 innings pitched as he dealt with various injuries. Yet, when Kluber was on the mound he pitched extremely well.

As you can see from the table below, Kluber finished 50th percentile or higher in nearly every relevant statistic outside of max exit velocity and BB %. Obviously, the age (35) and injury history is a concern but when healthy, Kluber still represents an above-average starter.

Prior to the 2021 season, Kluber had failed to top 35.2 IP in both 2019 and 2020 due to various injury issues. However, prior to 2019, Kluber completed five straight seasons with a 4.9 WAR or better. Considering Kluber's advanced age and laundry list injury history it would be extremely unfair to expect him to replicate what he did prior to 2019. That said, what we saw from Kluber in 2021 is more than repeatable and there are reasons to believe he could have an even better year in Tampa Bay.

 

Corey Kluber's Impact in Tampa Bay

An important reminder when discussing Kluber's impact in Tampa Bay should be that he isn't changing divisions. Kluber was able to put up very solid numbers last season in this same division. That said, the Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, and even the Orioles represent a murder's row of talented offenses and hitter-friendly ballparks. However, he moves his home park from Yankee Stadium, which grades out as the 17th most hitter-friendly ballpark, to Tampa Bay which ranks 26th (see below). Kluber will now get his home games in a ballpark that is set up for him to thrive. Especially considering his average strikeout rate.

Another aspect of Corey Kluber's arrival in Tampa that can not go overlooked is the quality of the Tampa Bay player development. The Rays have been the gold standard for player development as they continue to churn out winning teams with one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. Kluber will now be working with top-notch pitching coaches and player development personnel that will know how to get the best possible performance from the former Cy Young award winner.

One of the few negatives for Corey Kluber is how Tampa Bay typically uses their pitchers. The Rays are famous for their use of bullpen games and bulk innings pitchers. While Corey Kluber represents one of the best starters they have had, his age and injury history represent reasons to limit his workload as they typically do.

 

Corey Kluber's 2022 Fantasy Outlook

Corey Kluber's fantasy outlook is a tricky one. Steamer on Fangraphs currently projects Kluber for 148 IP with a 4.32 ERA, nine wins, 26 starts, and 140 strikeouts (see below). There are serious concerns he will hit anything near that amount of workload. Kluber hasn't topped 80 IP since 2018 and now he is heading to a place that limits pitcher workloads.

 

It seems that Kluber's best-case scenario is 150-155 IP. That said, the 4.32 ERA projection is much higher than expected after a 3.83 ERA in 2021 and a park upgrade for 2022. Kluber currently holds an NFC ADP of 435.38 which is absurdly low considering his past production, recent production, and new situation. There is a risk associated with Kluber but not at his current ADP. He is an SP 4/5 that is being drafted as the 171st pitcher off the board.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Offseason Moves




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jacob Wilson7 mins ago

Extends Hitting Streak To Seven Games
Jared McCann21 mins ago

Tallies Three Helpers On Wednesday
Jackson Blake33 mins ago

Scores Twice In Victory
Artemi Panarin39 mins ago

Tallies Three Points In Overtime Victory
Andrei Svechnikov46 mins ago

Exits Early On Wednesday
Jake McCabe52 mins ago

Suffers Injury On Wednesday
Jonathan Drouin57 mins ago

Exits Wednesday's Contest
Trevor Story1 hour ago

Homers In Wednesday Win
Hunter Goodman1 hour ago

Homers In Loss To Phillies
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.1 hour ago

Hits Two-Run HR Wednesday
Anthony Volpe1 hour ago

Hits Three-Run Homer Wednesday
Tommy Edman2 hours ago

Hits Two-Run Homer Wednesday
Logan O'Hoppe2 hours ago

Hits Grand Slam On Wednesday
Byron Buxton2 hours ago

Doubles, Homers, Drives In Two On Wednesday
Nico Hoerner2 hours ago

Swipes Two Bags On Wednesday
Oneil Cruz2 hours ago

Homers In Win Over Rays
Dylan Moore2 hours ago

Homers In Win Wednesday
Luis Arraez2 hours ago

Homers, Steals A Base In Win On Wednesday
Michael Conforto7 hours ago

Homers, Scores Three Runs
Jace Jung7 hours ago

Hits Home Run No. 2 At Triple-A
Jon Singleton7 hours ago

Signs Minor-League Deal With Mets
Niko Goodrum7 hours ago

Signs Minor-League Deal With Mets
Nick Kurtz7 hours ago

Belts Third Home Run In Last Four Games
Shohei Ohtani7 hours ago

Blasts Walk-Off Home Run
Zac Veen7 hours ago

Triples, Collects Four RBI At Triple-A On Wednesday
Zac Gallen7 hours ago

Strikes Out 13
Luke Waddell8 hours ago

Swinging A Hot Bat At Triple-A
Los Angeles Chargers9 hours ago

Chargers Sign Tight End Jordan Petaia
10 hours ago

Matthew Golden Making Pre-Draft Visit To Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals10 hours ago

Trey Hendrickson Not Looking For Short-Term Deal
Tutu Atwell10 hours ago

Rams Plan To Give Tutu Atwell A Bigger Role In 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers10 hours ago

Bucs Restructure Antoine Winfield's Deal To Free Up Cap Space
Jrue Holiday12 hours ago

Won't Play Against Miami
New York Jets12 hours ago

Xavier Newman-Johnson Re-Signs With New York
Al Horford12 hours ago

Sidelined Versus Heat
Kristaps Porzingis12 hours ago

Ruled Out On Wednesday
Fred VanVleet13 hours ago

Out Versus Utah
Dean Wade13 hours ago

Sidelined On Wednesday
Trae Young13 hours ago

Expected To Suit Up On Wednesday
Joel Embiid14 hours ago

Will Undergo Arthroscopic Surgery On His Left Knee
Evgeni Malkin14 hours ago

Joins Penguins For Road Trip
Filip Chytil14 hours ago

Could Miss Rest Of Season
Declan Chisholm14 hours ago

Back In Action Against Rangers
Keaton Wallace14 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Wednesday
Samuel Girard14 hours ago

Exits Avalanche Lineup Wednesday
Joel Kiviranta14 hours ago

Returning Against Blackhawks
Eeli Tolvanen14 hours ago

Misses First Game Of The Season
Jaden Schwartz14 hours ago

Unavailable Against Canucks
16 hours ago

Kyle McCord Rising Up Draft Boards?
16 hours ago

Ashton Jeanty To Raiders Continues To Gain Steam
16 hours ago

Emeka Egbuka To Fall To Round 2?
Los Angeles Rams16 hours ago

Rob Havenstein Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Cleveland Browns18 hours ago

Mike Hall Likely To Miss Offseason Program After Having Knee Surgery
New England Patriots18 hours ago

Christian Barmore Expected To Be Ready For Offseason Workouts
18 hours ago

Saints Expected To Visit With Quinn Ewers
Jake Moody18 hours ago

49ers To Bring In Competition For Jake Moody
Pittsburgh Steelers18 hours ago

Steelers In Play To Draft A Running Back
Green Bay Packers20 hours ago

Packers Not Ruling Out Jaire Alexander Returning
Tennessee Titans21 hours ago

No. 1 Overall Pick Might Not Be For Sale
Kenny Pickett21 hours ago

Browns Feel Good About QB Situation, Kenny Pickett
Cleveland Browns21 hours ago

Browns Unlikely To Trade Up To No. 1 Overall For Cam Ward
Cincinnati Bengals21 hours ago

Bengals Still Working On Contract Extension With Trey Hendrickson
Dyami Brown21 hours ago

Jaguars Intrigued By Dyami Brown's Potential
Bennedict Mathurin22 hours ago

Iffy For Wednesday
Myles Turner22 hours ago

May Miss Another Game Wednesday
Al Horford22 hours ago

Considered Doubtful Wednesday
Jrue Holiday22 hours ago

Questionable For Wednesday's Game
Kristaps Porzingis23 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Wednesday
Jaylen Brown23 hours ago

Could Remain On The Shelf Wednesday
Cade Cunningham23 hours ago

Likely Out For Fifth Straight Game
Anthony Davis23 hours ago

Probable Wednesday
Evan Bouchard1 day ago

Tallies Two Assists In Victory
Jake Guentzel1 day ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Victory
Kirill Marchenko1 day ago

Scores Hat Trick On Tuesday
Tage Thompson1 day ago

Stays Hot On The Scoresheet
Lane Hutson1 day ago

Dishes Out Three Helpers In Overtime Victory
Alex Ovechkin1 day ago

Tallies Two Points In Victory
Cameron Young1 day ago

A Player To Avoid At Valero Texas Open
Kurt Kitayama1 day ago

In Search Of Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim1 day ago

Looking To Bounce Back At Valero Texas Open
Tom Hoge1 day ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick1 day ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners1 day ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay1 day ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Gary Woodland1 day ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia1 day ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti1 day ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
Guerschon Yabusele2 days ago

Out Against Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns2 days ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Jevon Carter2 days ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry2 days ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Julian Phillips2 days ago

Out On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud2 days ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Jacob Trouba2 days ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jordan Spieth2 days ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp2 days ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim2 days ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood2 days ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau2 days ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole2 days ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Sam Stevens2 days ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA2 days ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy2 days ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman2 days ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR3 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland3 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno3 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg3 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober3 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall3 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara3 days ago

Gets Submitted
Édgar Cháirez3 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.3 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira3 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez3 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas3 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez3 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson3 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron3 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs3 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain3 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe3 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones3 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry4 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano4 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece4 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg6 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno6 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres6 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober6 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer6 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum6 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales6 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.6 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira6 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF