ARLINGTON, Texas _ No player has a seamless transition following a trade, even if he had anticipated it.
Some of the transition can be handled by the club that traded him away, and some falls on the team that traded for him.
Time, though, also plays a role in the transition.
It's not just a matter of how quickly a player can relocate from one city to a new one. Time allows the deal to sink in, gives the player a chance to say his goodbyes, and then to make the introductions with his new club.
That's where Corey Kluber finds himself more than a month after the Cleveland Indians parted ways with their best pitcher. On Saturday, he found himself at the Comerica Peek at the Park event before an eager media and a large cast of excited fans.
Not only is his body healthy after missing almost all of last season with a broken arm and strained oblique, his mind is, too.
"I think I've had time to process being part of a new organization, and I'm excited about it," Kluber said. "It's been a long time, personally, since I've been able to get out on the field. I think, along with the excitement of spring training, I'm looking forward to it."
Kluber penned an ode to Cleveland for The Players Tribune website, thanking the city, the fans and the only team he has ever played for in the major leagues.
That will change next month in spring training. When it does, Kluber expects to be a full strength after missing almost all of last season because of a broken left arm and a strained left oblique.
The time off the field drove him crazy, but it also allowed him to get ample rest after three straight seasons in the playoffs and to clean up some mechanics that had gone awry.
Kluber said that he is exactly where he has been during previous off-seasons, including throwing off a mound.
"I'm looking at as everything that happened last summer with my arm and my oblique is in the past," said Kluber, who won the American League Cy Young Award in 2014 and 2017. "I've been off a mound for a while now, which is right in line where I'd normally be."
He has also started to build the foundation of a relationship with manager Chris Woodward. By doing that now, it will keep Kluber more focused on baseball once spring training arrives.
Next up is the relationship building with his new teammates, including the three catchers on the 40-man roster _ Robinson Chirinos, Jeff Mathis and Jose Trevino.
It's all part of the transition MLB players face after being traded to a new club.
