CLEVELAND -- Indians manager Terry Francona picked up the phone to call his former starting pitcher Corey Kluber on Sunday afternoon after the news broke that the two-time American League Cy Young Award winner was being traded to Texas. But when Kluber answered, it was hard for Francona to find the appropriate words to say.

“In fact, I even told him that,” Francona said. “I said, ‘I'm not sure what to say.’ You know, the business part of the game happens, and it is hard to know what is right to say. But I don't think it's ever wrong to tell somebody thank you, and that you care about them and that you will continue to care about them. But it's not the easiest conversation, that's for sure.”

• After Kluber trade, what does Tribe do next?

Kluber was entering his third big league season when Francona took over the reins in Cleveland in 2013. It was the first year in which the right-hander tossed over 100 frames in his career. From there, he never slowed down. From 2014-18, Kluber racked up 200-plus innings in each season, totaling 1,091 1/3 innings. In that span, he won two Cy Young Awards (while placing in the top three two other times) and was selected to three All-Star Games. In 2017, he led the Majors in wins (18), ERA (2.25), complete games (5), shutouts (3) and WHIP (0.869). It’s impossible to ignore the footprint the 33-year-old has left on the organization.

“It’s challenging,” Francona said. “You get close to guys. I mean, I’ve been with Kluber for seven years. It’s the same for other guys, too, that when you spend time with guys, regardless of whether they win a Cy Young or are your utility infielder. You get attached to guys. That’s part of it. When the time comes that you don’t get attached, I probably ought to do something else.”

Kluber’s 2019 season was disappointing. He posted a 5.80 ERA in his first seven starts before his right forearm was fractured on a comebacker in Miami on May 1. When he finally was days away from a return, he strained his left oblique muscle in August, shutting him down for the remainder of the year. It’s not the way any iconic pitcher who played such a vital role in turning around a franchise would ever want to go out. But his rocky ending is what gave the Indians a sneak peek into life after Kluber and, somehow, it wasn’t as intimidating as it previously seemed.

The Tribe had comfort in making the move because of the young talent that has emerged. Shane Bieber blossomed in his sophomore campaign. Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale were in Double-A when the year began and not only contributed at the big league level by the season’s end, but thrived. Even with an upper back injury that sidelined him for two months, Mike Clevinger showed his advancement toward the ace role. And beyond the surface, the Indians also have Scott Moss, Logan Allen and -- eventually -- Triston McKenzie waiting in the farm system.

“Well, I think our organization has done an unbelievable job of developing pitchers, and there's a lot of people that go into that equation,” Francona said. “You know, it's the player development people, it's the scouting, it's the guys in the office all putting their heads together. And because of that we keep churning out pitchers and the pitchers are -- we've gotten guys that are ultra-competitive and don't back down from challenges and it's allowed us to continue to be competitive, again, with another wave of guys coming.”

So the Indians decided to trade one, possibly two, years of Kluber for some younger talent. Moving him may have been their plan from the moment they picked up his $17.5-million option in October. There’s no avoiding the fact that the Tribe doesn’t have much wiggle room when it comes to spending money, and anyone with a sizeable contract is questionable. Eliminating that chunk of change now gives the team the flexibility to sign a free agent like César Hernández or an outfielder or to even make another trade. The immediate return for Kluber was underwhelming, but the potential of at least Emmanuel Clase, who seems destined to be a closer with his triple-digit cutter, is promising.

“Yeah, that gets exciting,” Francona said. “I mean, that's one of the biggest arms you're going to see. In a kind of an era in baseball where you know bullpens have the hard-throwing guys, we had kind of gone the other way. We still had a good bullpen, but it's nice to bring in a guy that when all else fails, you know they have velocity and that in itself can be really good. And from all I understand, his ability to make adjustments has been really good. You know, he's a young kid, but we're really excited about what his future could be.”

Clase wasn’t the part of the deal that raised eyebrows. The Tribe also acquired outfielder Delino DeShields, who will join an already congested outfield comprised of decent defenders, but lacking hitters. DeShields fits a similar profile, as he’s known for his above-average defense and speed, but he hasn’t provided much pop offensively. How he’ll fit into the Indians’ outfield puzzle will be determined in Spring Training, but Francona isn’t ready to rule out adding another outfielder into the mix.

“We’re thrilled we got him,” Francona said. “I don’t know if we can say what guys’ roles are yet, just because we don’t know what our ultimate outfield is going to end up. Does it stay where it is? Do we add somebody? We know he’s an elite defender, especially in center field, and that’s valuable. Where we go from there depends on where we end up heading into Spring Training.”