12:12pm: ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the two sides are close to finalizing that one-year, $12MM contract.
SATURDAY, 7:52am: In a pair of tweets, Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker corrects an exchange rate miscalculation and says the deal is for one year and $12MM, not $8MM. He adds that the report is all over the Japanese media.
FRIDAY, 8:01pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com hears from a Dodgers source that Sanspo's report is "inaccurate" and it's "hard to tell" if the team and pitcher are close to an agreement. (Twitter link)
7:47pm: Free agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda is on the verge of an agreement with the Dodgers, reports Japanese site Sanspo.com (as translated in this tweet from NPBTracker). The contract would be a one-year deal worth approximately $8MM. Though Kuroda will turn 36 in February, $8MM would be a nice bargain for the Dodgers given Kuroda's very solid numbers (3.60 ERA, 3.18 K/BB ratio) over his three seasons in the majors.
This is the second L.A. free agent pitcher that the club has moved quickly to re-sign this offseason, after Ted Lilly was inked to a $33MM contract in October. As Sanspo's story indicated, Japanese clubs Hiroshima and Yomiuri were interested if Kuroda decided to return to his home country, plus we knew that the Rockies had Kuroda on their list of pitching targets.
Oof. Kuroda definitely could’ve had more. Kuroda’s the second best pitcher on the market. Can’t see why he didn’t ask for more.
Age.
I think that he only wants to pitch 1 more year in MLB.
Not sure why everyone is SO convinced Kuroda is the #2 pitcher on the market. Not saying he definitely isn’t – he’s a damn fine pitcher – but there’s a good case to be made for de la Rosa, Pettitte, Lilly and Pavano.
Westbrook and Iwakuma also
Lilly already signed with the Dodgers and I don’t get why anyone thinks de la Rosa is anything special. Sure, he strikes people out at a nice rate, but he also walks batters at an incredibly high rate for a starter. He has never posted an ERA for a season lower than 4.22 and has only once pitched more than 130 innings in a season. Compare Kuroda’s numbers to any of those guys you mentioned and he is the steadiest one of the bunch.
Pettitte’s older and said he would probably retire or play one more year in NY, De La Rosa and Pavano are not better than Kuroda, Lilly already signed (still isn’t better than Kuroda though) so yeah. When I say better, I mean according to FIP and tERA.
What?!? If thats true thats a steal! I’d expect a 3 year deal worth 36 -48 million.
$16MM per season for Kuroda? Huh??
Sure, Kuroda was paid 12 Million+ and 15 Million+ in 2009 and 2010 respectively. He’s pitched better than would’ve been expected given the tough transition from Japan to here. I could see him getting 16 million were he 3 years younger. To me 2/25 is respectable for Kuroda. 3/30 maybe. If he only wants 1 year, he has every right to ask for 1/16. 3/48 is a bit intense given he’s already 35.
1/16 maybe (I’d still only go $12M or so), but 3/48 for Kuroda would be absurd. Lilly’s contract has to be the absolute ceiling for Kuroda.
Why? Kuroda is better than Lilly. Not much better but still.
they’re pretty close when it comes to performance and age…
Lilly’s a lefty though…
I expected the same contracts for both of them…
The difference is Lilly wanted his last big deal, Kuroda wanted one more year and then he could finish in Japan if he wants to keep pitching
1/16 maybe (I’d still only go $12M or so), but 3/48 for Kuroda would be absurd. Lilly’s contract has to be the absolute ceiling for Kuroda.
Let’s see it actually happen first. International newspapers have often relayed inaccurate information, which we’ve seen happen here several times before.
If it’s legit, then Kuroda undoubtedly could have done better, and it is indeed a head-scratching move.
Yup, reports about the previous report being inaccurate. 1/8 is simply inappropriate.
Wow if thats true, what a bargain for the dodgers.
If this is true then who took over as the new Dodgers GM? I didn’t hear anything about Colletti, was he fired? Hit by a bus? Strung up by Dodger fans? This just CAN’T be true if Ned is still running the team.
I’m guessing he was hit by a bus driven by Dodger fans. Yeah, that’s got to be it.
if only….
I was being sarcastic but I guess I was right anyway, it wasn’t true.
I know. But dodger fans dream of the day Colletti is gone
He’s not so bad.
Carlos Santana, Josh Bell, Andrew Lambo and James McDonald disagree. Want to know something funny… in a bad way..? Those 4 guys could potentially fill the 4 main needs of the Dodgers if this deal goes through… catcher, 3B, LF(all with power) and #5 starter..
I know. But dodger fans dream of the day Colletti is gone
I was being sarcastic but I guess I was right anyway, it wasn’t true.
if only….
Colletti’s pulled off quite a few good deals in his day. But his bad ones have been AWFUL and get most of the headlines. Not that this should be acceptable of a GM, but he seems to get better with experience.
Growing up a Giants fan, it’s ironic to see a reversal, with the Giants LOADED with pitching and the Dodgers struggling to find some. Lilly is not worth $11 million a year. Rehabilitating BasketCase Broxton is a higher priority. Kershaw, Billingsley, Lilly and Kuroda, not a bad starting four, but with that bullpen……..
If Lilly can bring his HR/9 back down a bit from his abnormally high levels this year, he’s definitely worth $11M per season. Assuming, of course, he maintains his current level of production otherwise.
Over the past several seasons, he’s been an $11M pitcher anyway. Whether or not it will continue as he ages is debatable. I could very well see him deteriorating, and if that’s what you were implying, I agree that it’s possible. However, as it stands now, $11M for Lilly isn’t bad.
If Lilly can bring his HR/9 back down a bit from his abnormally high levels this year, he’s definitely worth $11M per season. Assuming, of course, he maintains his current level of production otherwise.
Over the past several seasons, he’s been an $11M pitcher anyway. Whether or not it will continue as he ages is debatable. I could very well see him deteriorating, and if that’s what you were implying, I agree that it’s possible. However, as it stands now, $11M for Lilly isn’t bad.
Hm. Take a closer look. Kuo had one of the best relief pitching seasons EVER last year, and he has become one of the greatest left handed relievers ever over the last few years. Yes Broxton struggled in the second half, but in the first half he was one of the very top relievers in the game, and he has been over the last few years so why expect any different in 2011? Also check out Kenley Jansen, whom after converting to pitching from catching just a year ago put up amazing numbers as he rocketed from A to AA to the Majors. Throw in a good signing here a productive call up from the minors there and it isn’t hard to see the Dodgers returning to top the NL in pitching as they were in 08 and 09.
Virtually the same bullpen was the best in 2009. Just goes to show you how humbling baseball can be. Don’t be surprised sir, if that “loaded” Giants bullpen comes back to earth in 2011 and the struggling Dodgers pen returns to form.
Actually, the loaded bullpen which was not the same one from last year, kinda sucked after a while. Affeldt who was amazing in ’09 just crapped out, Medders sucks, Waldis went down quick too, Romo kept giving up home runs (though I never wanted him to not pitch), etc. Then we got Mota, Bautista, and Casilla from the lower level to help fix everything. That worked for a little while but eventually Mota stopped being so good, Bautista was just too wild to be trusted in high or even most regular leverage situations, but Casilla stayed along for the whole ride. We traded for JLo and RamRam and that really helped down the stretch (especially JLo). The bullpen did go back to earth from last year’s and hard. But, the issue was addressed immediately and it all worked out.
I was saying that the Dodgers bullpen was virtually the same from 2009-2010, but thanks for going into all that.
My bad, I read that wrong.
The sourced tweet from @npbtracker says “about 1bn yen ($8m)”, but at today’s exchange rate posted on yahoo! finance, 1 billion yen is about $12M.
that’s doing your research right there!
This is correct. Thank you for pointing this out.
great catch David
The sourced tweet from @npbtracker says “about 1bn yen ($8m)”, but at today’s exchange rate posted on yahoo! finance, 1 billion yen is about $12M.
Interesting. I wonder if they sign Kuroda, will they be more willing to take a chance on Webb as the fifth starter.
If only.
It’s pretty good top four
Kershaw
Bills
Lilly
Kuroda
Vicente/Webb/
Pretty good 5!
who is bills??
Chad Billingsley
who is bills??
Too bad the defense will screw them over (especially the outfield).
One year at $8 million isn’t such a headscratcher. Kuroda has made it clear that he will take it year by year as to how long he pitches. He signed his original contract before the depression hit baseball salaries. He is a durable no. 3 starter with good control and a very good strikeout/walk ratio. If he re-signs, the Dodgers will have 4 very solid starters, although not equal to say, the Giants.
i figure if the dodgers non-tender martin and sherill at least that’s a little less than 12mil there. whats the payroll after the trade?
i figure if the dodgers non-tender martin and sherill at least that’s a little less than 12mil there. whats the payroll after the trade?
pardon i meant whats the payroll after the dodgers sign kuroda?
Preliminarily about 106M according to TBLA(on the right side of the page)
truebluela.com/
pardon i meant whats the payroll after the dodgers sign kuroda?
Man, that’s a pretty good deal for the Dodgers @ 12 Mil. and for only one year, too! Kudos to LA’s FO for getting it done.
Wes, do you really think $12 million for a 36 year-old pitcher is a good deal?
it actually is a good deal, only one year and Kuroda was arguably their best pitcher last season
Ok, dont get carried away. Kuroda is a great pitcher(and I believe fangraphs listed him as someone who actually posted ace numbers last year in an article a few weeks ago), but Kershaw was by far the best pitcher
He was better but not “by far.”
What?
Kershaw: 2.91 ERA in 204.1 innings, 1.18 WHIP, 212 Ks, 7.0 H/9, ERA+=132(average pitcher=100), WAR=4.4
Kuroda: 3.39 ERA in 196.1 innings, 1.16 WHIP, 159 Ks, 8.3 H/9, ERA+=113, WAR=2.4
Yes, by far
According to Fangraph’s WAR (which I think is more accurate), Kershaw had 4.8 compared to Hiroki’s 4.2. A 0.6 difference is not “by far,” a little better, but still around the same league.
it actually is a good deal, only one year and Kuroda was arguably their best pitcher last season
They just gave a 34-year old a three year deal worth $33 million. Getting Kuroda for one year is great given his age and most teams would probably pay a bit of a premium like that to avoid extra years.
They just gave a 34-year old a three year deal worth $33 million. Getting Kuroda for one year is great given his age and most teams would probably pay a bit of a premium like that to avoid extra years.
This year, Kuroda was in the top 5 FA SP, agruablly top 3. He could have gotten 16+ million a year on the market.
He’s definitely top 3, arguably the second best. Not only has he not regressed in his 3 years in the MLB due to age, he’s actually gotten BETTER and healthier.
even his injuries have been non arm related and most have just been bad luck(ball of the face, for example..)
The marginal free agent salary of a major league win is worth roughly $4 mil in salary – Kuroda has averaged roughly 3.3 wins above replacement in his career (4.2 last year), so by that standard the deal is a small win for the Dodgers.
Also, one year deals are hardly ever a long term team damaging sort of issue.
Very nice. He’s been great for us when he wasn’t hurt. Anyone know how much payroll space we have left?
no one knows because Colletti has said payroll will rise, but hasnt said by how much
Ya. I thought payroll was supposed to be about $100 million, but I’m not sure what we’re at right now.
With kurodas deal, according to TBLA(I linked it above, its just on the right side of the main page) we should be at about 106. But I expect Loney and Sherrill to be gone, and possibly(hopefully) Loney replaced with a power bat
Ty Wigginton?
What would be the point? He is worse on defense and his OPS was .004 points higher than Loneys. The HRs would be nice, but it wouldnt make him even worth it. Hell, Loneys OPS+ was actually higher than Tys, 99 to 96…
Sarcasm.
Sorry. Been a long weekend
Very nice. He’s been great for us when he wasn’t hurt. Anyone know how much payroll space we have left?
This is good for the Dodgers. He is a solid pitcher to have on the staff. Go Kuroda!
Now is there any chance we can sign a middle of the order type player to address our offense? Would like to see Dunn and Vmart although I know neither will happen.
Hopefully. I think it could be possible that we sign someone like Dunn(I dont think we get Dunn, but Im talking a player in the slugger mold) and trade Loney for a prospect who can compete for the 5 spot
this is a bargain considering he is the second best pitcher after cliff lee
Not sure why everyone on here is SO convinced Kuroda is the #2 pitcher on the market. Not saying he definitely isn’t – he’s a damn fine pitcher – but there’s a good case to be made for de la Rosa, Pettitte, Westbrook, Iwakuma, Lilly and Pavano.
A couple of weeks ago this site was including him in a list of second-rate starters, so hardly everyone thinks so. At the top of the list, but on the list. I won’t get into an argument over whether he’s the best available starter, but I think he belongs on that list not the other one. Happy to see him coming back to the Dodgers.
I agree with you – I think there’s a case to be made that Kuroda is the 2nd best starter in the market (especially on a 1 year deal). I’m more pointing to the fact that most of the comments here are talking about him as a clear #2 guy.
I saw only one comment to that effect, but I do think he’s underrated. That’s what you get for being a Japanese pitcher playing for a west coast NL team. Hardly anyone in the sports media noticed Saito either until he played in Boston.
this is a bargain considering he is the second best pitcher after cliff lee
Thats one Top FA Down 49 to go, Tim is 0-1.