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It was reported yesterday that the Yankees had made an undisclosed offer to Hiroki Kuroda; however, it turns out that they had pitched their one-year contract weeks ago. They have been waiting for his word for awhile now and already expected him to make a decision sometime in December. Now it is thought that he won't accept or decline the deal until after the winter meetings next week.
Kuroda made $15 million in 2013 and declined a $14.1 million qualifying offer, so the Yankees are likely offering him a contract in the neighborhood of $15-$16 million. That's if he's even coming back at all. It's still completely possible that the right-hander doesn't return to Major League Baseball for his age-39 season, and instead returns to play in Japan or retires completely.
Right now the Yankees have a projected rotation of CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, and a pool of David Phelps, Adam Warren, Michael Pineda, Brett Marshall, Vidal Nuno, and probably some others who will never win the job. If the Yankees want to keep costs down and avoid signing the likes of Scott Kazmir to a two-year, $22 million deal, or Bartolo Colon for possibly more, they need to find a one-year deal where they can. While giving $16 million to a 39-year-old pitcher might not sound like a good idea, there are lesser players the Yankees could sign to more expensive contracts.
