After all the talk about waiving his no-trade clause, Hiroki Kuroda wants to finish this year right where he started. Thus, one of the best starting pitchers thought to be on the market will remain a Dodger at least through this year.
I have to admit, I have mixed emotions on this. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Kuroda fan. Very quietly, he has turned into a really good major league pitcher. His numbers this year are funny: 6-13, 3.11 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 103 K's. In his nearly four-year career, he's 34-43 with a 3.50 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 465 K's.
Needless to say, he's been getting the job done since 2008. But with the Dodgers going nowhere this year, I was intrigued by what kind of package could be put together had Kuroda agreed to be moved. The teams that were being talked about as being most interested in him were the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rangers. And it's no secret that those teams have been willing to make big deals in the past.
What worries me most is next year. Kuroda signed a one-year, $12 million deal to remain with the Dodgers in the offseason. The belief at the time seemed to be that this would be his last year in the majors, as he can always return to Japan. There's nothing set in stone, and that's what concerns me. What if he does walk after this year? The Dodgers could've gotten some talent for the future to at least make up for the loss.
Hopefully Kuroda will be back next year to at least make some sense of this. If not, then the Dodgers just lost out on a chance to get stronger for the future. Time will tell how this plays out.
No comments:
Post a Comment