Sources: Corey Kluber, Indians agree to 5-year contract extension

Right-hander Corey Kluber and the Cleveland Indians agreed on a five-year contract extension with two club options, tying the reigning American League Cy Young winner to the ascendant Indians, sources told Yahoo Sports.

Kluber, who turns 29 this week, is a late bloomer who still was not eligible for arbitration, prompting him to seek a long-term deal with the Indians. The interest was mutual, and after months of negotiations, they came to terms on a deal that could keep Kluber in an Indians uniform through his 35^th birthday.

After a season in which he went 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA and 269 strikeouts in 235 2/3 innings, Kluber got a raise to just $601,000 because he still was not eligible for arbitration. While the terms of the deal are unknown, it is expected to juice Kluber’s short-term earnings significantly while providing him the long-term security that even two years ago seemed altogether unlikely.

Kluber joined Cleveland just before the trade deadline in 2010, the return from San Diego in a three-way trade that sent Jake Westbrook to St. Louis. He blossomed in the Indians organization, developing a curveball-slider combination as devastating as any in the AL, and now heads an Indians rotation with significant expectations.

In addition to Kluber, the Indians have engaged with their No. 2 starter, Carlos Carrasco, about a contract extension, sources told Yahoo Sports. Both the Kluber extension talks and those about a Carrasco deal were first reported by FoxSports.com.