The New York Yankees have offered free agent starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda a one-year, $12 million deal. Having spent the past four seasons as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kuroda said he was willing to keep his options open this winter. Kuroda’s indicated that he wouldn’t mind pitching on the East Coast and the Yankees are seeking a reliable arm to steady their questionable rotation.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman entered the 2011-12 offseason knowing that his team was coming off a lucky season. No, the Yankees did not hoist another World Series title, but they did have a successful season if you consider the starting pitching they were working with.
Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett, who entered the season as the club’s 2nd and 3rd starters, were outperformed by minor league free agents Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. If Cashman and the Yankees hadn’t gotten lucky with the veteran starters they basically picked up off the trash heap, New York’s season could have been far different.
Cashman admits that his club walked a tightrope in 2011, and that this was something he doesn’t plan on watching happen in 2012. Cashman said that he would like to add more reliable starters to his rotation, and few have been as consistently reliable as Kuroda over the past few years.
The 36-year-old maintained an ERA of 3.45 and 1.187 WHIP over his four seasons in LA. Kuroda started at least 31 game three of his four years and held a SO/9 of 6.7 and BB/9 of 2.1.
The Dodgers decided to go cheaper this winter, bringing in veterans Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano for a combined annual salary of less than it would have cost them to retain Kuroda.
Beyond the Yankees, several clubs have shown interest in Kuroda this offseason. The Rockies have been “quietly pursuing” Kuroda while the Red Sox, Tigers and Diamondbacks have all been tied to the right-hander.
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