Hiroki Kuroda Rumors

Discussion: What Late Additions Could Have Big Playoff Impact?

With the 2009 postseason picture nearly in place, it's time to identify some of the late-season pickups that can make a huge splash in this year's playoffs. In 2002, the Angels may not have won the championship without the help of a young pitcher by the name of Francisco Rodriguez. Because of multiple injuries to their bullpen, the Angels called up the 22-year-old in mid-September. Rodriguez was able to pitch in just five regular season games for the club before being thrown into the postseason fire. The hard-throwing righty responded to the pressure beautifully, posting an ERA of 1.93 and...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Full Count Video: Dodgers, DeRosa, Cubs, Managers, General Managers

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up, so let's dive right on in... Southpaws Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw are likely to start the first two games of the playoffs for the Dodgers, but Kershaw must recover from his dislocated non-throwing shoulder first. The back-to-back lefties would be a big advantage if LA played the lefthanded hitter heavy Phillies. Rosenthal also mentions that the Cardinals, despite being so righty heavy, have the second lowest team OPS (.675) against lefthanded pitchers in the National League. Hiroki Kuroda would likely start game three for the Dodgers, followed by...   Continue Reading

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The Dodgers' Rotation

They're 15-8, in first place in the NL West, but the Dodgers face questions about a rotation that includes three ERAs of 5.50 or more. Behind Chad Billingsley and Randy Wolf, they have Clayton Kershaw, who hasn't pitched out the the fifth inning his last two starts, James McDonald, who has walked a batter an inning this year, and Eric Stults, who's allowing two baserunners an inning. Yahoo's Tim Brown takes stock of the rotation and how Ned Colletti will progress with it. Brown says it's unlikely the Dodgers will add Pedro Martinez, Paul Byrd, Odalis Perez or Freddy Garcia....   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Crosby, Kawakami, Wolf

3:44pm: MLB.com's Jim Street says Crosby cleared waivers. 9:00am: The word from Ken Rosenthal... The A's placed shortstop Bobby Crosby on outright waivers in the hope that some team will assume his $5.75MM salary for '09. After his lousy '08, he may go unclaimed. The Braves were focused on Rafael Furcal; they're not looking to add a different infielder as a backup plan. They still want another starting pitcher. Dave O'Brien names some possible targets. Rosenthal says some teams fear Kenshin Kawakami might want to match Hiroki Kuroda's three-year, $35.3MM deal. The Mariners would like to add a left-handed hitter...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Tazawa, Boras, Cuban

Links for Tuesday... Scouts from the Tigers and Indians visited Junichi Tazawa yesterday. This week's chat has been pushed to Wednesday at 2pm CST. I chatted with The Baseball Opinion on November 10th. Patrick Newman compares Kenshin Kawakami and Hiroki Kuroda. Jesse Spector talks to D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes. Ken Davidoff explains the semantics games often played by agents, GMs, and journalists. Peter Abraham makes free agent predictions. Chat with Scott Boras at USA Today on Wednesday at 10am CST. You can submit questions in advance. SI.com's Jon Heyman says Mark Cuban's bid for the Cubs wasn't high enough, anyway.   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Bedard, Teixeira, Longoria, Durham

Rounding up today's links... Live chat here today at 2pm CST. Geoff Baker has a link and commentary on Erik Bedard's Philadelphia radio appearance. I'm with Baker - this was an odd choice by Bedard, who typically avoids the media. According to Ken Rosenthal, the Brewers are interested in the Giants' Ray Durham and Jack Taschner. MLB.com's Mark Bowman believes the Braves will shop Mark Teixeira if they decide they can't contend. They're currently six games out. Dave Cameron concluded his MLB Trade Value series at FanGraphs. He considers Evan Longoria the most valuable asset in the game, partially because...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Doue, Furcal, Kuroda

Here are today's links. Dave Cameron notes Nelson Cruz's video game numbers in Triple A and suggests he deserves another shot. Japanese catcher Hayato Doue was expected to join the Red Sox organization, but visa problems have gotten in the way. Buster Olney notes that Rafael Furcal will test free agency if he can't hammer out an extension with the Dodgers by midseason. Shigetoshi Hasegawa denies the notion that he pushed Hiroki Kuroda toward the Dodgers. Athletics Nation sees Billy Beane targeting pitcher Tanner Scheppers if he's available with the 12th pick. Also, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com has an overall...   Continue Reading

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Dutton On Royals' Free Agent Starter Search

I recently named the Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton as Rumor Royalty for the Royals. He was kind enough to answer a few questions for the site. MLBTR: It seems pretty clear the Royals are going to sign a veteran starter. They've been linked to Bartolo Colon, Jon Lieber, Kris Benson, and others who have signed elsewhere. Who do you see as the best fit for this team? Dutton: The guy they really wanted was Hiroki Kuroda, and I'm pretty sure they tendered the top bid before he signed with the Dodgers. They liked Carlos Silva but not at his..   Continue Reading

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Dodgers Sign Kuroda

UPDATE, 12-15-07 at 6:26pm: Crasnick has an update: it's for $35-36MM over three years. So he's no bargain. $35.3MM, to be exact. UPDATE, 12-15-07 at 3:52pm: Ken Rosenthal checks in, noting that the Dodgers and other clubs were willing to go to four years on Kuroda but he preferred three. UPDATE, 12-15-07 at 2:25pm: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News reports that the Dodgers have signed Kuroda to a three-year deal worth between $36-40MM, pending a physical. The Dodgers will go with Brad Penny, Chad Billingsley, Derek Lowe, Kuroda, and Jason Schmidt if he's healthy. Esteban Loaiza might have..   Continue Reading

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Dodgers In Lead For Hiroki Kuroda?

UPDATE, 12-12-07 at 10:05pm: Still no clarity on the Kuroda situation. MLB.com's Ken Gurnick notes Japanese reports indicating Kuroda has signed with the Dodgers, but Ned Colletti is still awaiting word from his agent. Here's Tony Jackson's update; he says pretty much the same. UPDATE, 12-12-07 at 1:40pm: Jerry Crasnick checks in, noting that Kuroda is visiting his California-based agent. They'll go over the four offers they have in hand. UPDATE, 12-12-07 at 8:56am: If the Diamondbacks are out of the running for Kuroda, they haven't been informed of it. Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News wrote early today..   Continue Reading

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