Yankees' Kuroda heading back to Japan
The Yankees will need to get back into the hunt for a starting pitcher after news broke Friday afternoon that Hiroki Kuroda will return to his native Japan to pitch in 2015.
According to a blog post on Yankees Media 101, Kuroda has agreed to a one-year deal to pitch for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp for $3.3 million. The Yankees didn't have a strong interest in bringing him back, having declined to make him a qualifying offer back in November. However the Yankees lose a guy who gave them innings the past few years, something they have had a hard time finding.
The current Yankees rotation is as follows:
CC Sabathia
Mashiro Tanaka
Michael Pineda
Nathan Eovaldi
Ivan Nova
Not exactly a stellar group, the Yankees already lost out on Brandon McCarthy, who signed with the Dodgers. The team did acquire Eovaldi in a deal with the Marlins. At 25-years old he has a lot of upside, even though he is under .500 in his career as a starter. The Yankees are hoping that both Pineda and Nova can shake off the injury bug that has plagued them in recent years.
The Yankees were in the market for Max Scherzer, but his contract demands have been too steep for the Yankees, or anybody for that matter. He remains a free agent, but the Yankees will likely look elsewhere for middle-of-the-rotation pitching.
According to a blog post on Yankees Media 101, Kuroda has agreed to a one-year deal to pitch for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp for $3.3 million. The Yankees didn't have a strong interest in bringing him back, having declined to make him a qualifying offer back in November. However the Yankees lose a guy who gave them innings the past few years, something they have had a hard time finding.
The current Yankees rotation is as follows:
CC Sabathia
Mashiro Tanaka
Michael Pineda
Nathan Eovaldi
Ivan Nova
Not exactly a stellar group, the Yankees already lost out on Brandon McCarthy, who signed with the Dodgers. The team did acquire Eovaldi in a deal with the Marlins. At 25-years old he has a lot of upside, even though he is under .500 in his career as a starter. The Yankees are hoping that both Pineda and Nova can shake off the injury bug that has plagued them in recent years.
The Yankees were in the market for Max Scherzer, but his contract demands have been too steep for the Yankees, or anybody for that matter. He remains a free agent, but the Yankees will likely look elsewhere for middle-of-the-rotation pitching.
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