The New York Yankees, right after trading Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to the Seattle Mariners for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos, have signed Hiroki Kuroda to a one year contract.
The one year deal will pay the Japanese right handed pitcher $10 Million over one season. The Yankees hinted at a potential deal when they hired Kuroda's translator with the Dodgers, and the deal became even more likely when Kuroda lowered his demands to a one year contract,
Kuroda, who I consider one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball, was 13-16 last season on a struggling Los Angeles Dodgers team.
Despite the wins/losses, Kuroda managed to have a solid season. Kuroda threw 202 innings in 32 starts, and pitched to: 7.17 K/9, 2.18 BB/9, 1.07 HR/9, 3.07 ERA, 3.78 FIP, and was worth 2.4 WAR.
The Yankees rotation in 2012 will likely be CC Sabathia- Michael Pineda- Hiroki Kuroda- ?- ?. The ?'s are between Ivan Nova, A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, Freddy Garcia, Adam Warren, and David Phelps.
Wow, what a night. Thoughts?