Hiroki Kuroda has been excellent in his four seasons pitching on these shores. While he has posted only one winning record, his 3.45 ERA and excellent control speak for his abilities. He is also two months from turning 37 and made about $12 million last year, a figure likely to rise through free agency.
Pretend for a moment that you’re a general manager, something we all like to do on the bus on the way to work in the morning. You’re sitting in your plush office at the new Yankee Stadium when the phone rings. It’s a rival GM calling to make you a trade offer. He would like you to trade 24-year-old Adam Warren, his mid-90s fastball, and minimal salary for a 37-year-old right-handed pitcher who is going to cost, say, $30 million over the next two years. Do you make that deal, even if the 37-year-old is Walter Johnson?
I thought not. Next: if you answered "No," to the previous question, why not just pitch Adam Warren?