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Hiroki Kuroda

Angels Interested In Hiroki Kuroda

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3:16pm: The Angels are interested in Kuroda but only as a fall-back option in case they're unable to re-sign Zack Greinke, reports MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. They probably can't afford to sign both right-handers.

12:02pm: The Angels have joined the Yankees, Dodgers, and Red Sox as teams with interest in Hiroki Kuroda, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The Yankees are still negotiating and hope to bring him back for 2013 before he finishes his career in Japan, which the right-hander says he will do.

Kuroda, 37, pitched to a 3.32 ERA in a career-high 219 2/3 innings for New York this season. He's open to signing another one-year contract so he can remain flexible and return to Japan after the season, if he chooses. The Yankees made Kuroda a qualifying offer and would receive draft pick compensation if he signs with another team.

Tim Dierkes ranked Kuroda as the ninth best free agent in his Top 50 Free Agents List, predicting he would re-sign with New York.

AL Links: Sanchez, Hunter, Yankees, Price, Red Sox

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With Torii Hunter joining the club on a two-year deal, the Tigers will now focus on re-signing Anibal Sanchez according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. They're unlikely to pursue another big name pitcher if they can't bring the right-hander back, however. Here's the latest from the American League, starting with some more on Hunter…

  • Hunter told teams he wasn't interested in talking to them unless things didn't work out with the Tigers, reports Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
  • The Yankees saw Hunter as a good fit but never made him an offer, reports Erik Boland of Newsday (on Twitter). They don't have any offers out to position players at the moment and are focused on re-signing Hiroki Kuroda and Mariano Rivera.
  • Hunter would have taken less than $26MM he received from Detroit to re-sign with the Angels, but a one-year contract was a non-starter at any price according to Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).
  • Knobler listed the pros and cons of trading David Price just a few hours after the left-hander took home the Cy Young Award. Some people with the Rays even identified the Rangers as the ideal trade partner.
  • The Red Sox won't alter their rebuilding plan in the wake of the Blue Jays-Marlins blockbuster, said GM Ben Cherington to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. "We know we have a plan this offseason and we're going to see how much we can execute it … We've started that and we'll continue to do that," said Cherington, who mentioned he found out about the blockbuster through MLBTR.

Dodgers Notes: Hunter, Ryu, Bard, Kuroda

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The latest on the Dodgers, who are in the midst of their first offseason under new ownership…

  • The Dodgers are out on Torii Hunter, according to Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. The Braves, Rangers and Tigers all still have interest in Hunter, who appears to prefer an AL team.
  • GM Ned Colletti told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Dodgers are prioritizing the international market again under the team’s new ownership. “One area we really needed to accent immediately was international operations,” Colletti said. “We couldn’t wait another year to get involved there.” The Dodgers recently won the negotiating rights to Korean left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu with a bid of $25.7MM. 
  • The Dodgers announced that they signed six international scouts, including Patrick Guerrero. The team also announced that they hired former MLB catcher Josh Bard as a special assistant.
  • Ken Davidoff of the New York Post wonders which top free agent will sign next. Zack Greinke and Hiroki Kuroda seem like candidates to sign in the relatively near future, according to Davidoff, who believes that the Dodgers will bring Kuroda back to Los Angeles.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Giants, Affeldt, Hart, Tigers, Soriano

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The 4pm CST deadline for players to accept qualifying offers has come and gone and none of the eight players in play opted to return to their respective clubs for a $13.3MM salary in 2013.  That means that Nick Swisher, Hiroki Kuroda, Rafael Soriano, B.J. Upton, Adam LaRoche, Michael Bourn, Josh Hamilton, and Kyle Lohse will net their teams a compensatory pick if they sign elsewhere.  Here's the latest from around baseball..

  • The Giants are confident that they will be re-signing Jeremy Affeldt and the club believes that they will work out a three-year deal, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  GM Brian Sabean indicated yesterday that he is optimistic about being about to keep Affeldt, Angel Pagan, and Marco Scutaro.
  • Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter) that he has not approached Corey Hart's agent about an extension and doesn't have immediate plans to do so.  A report earlier today suggested that the Brewers and Hart were discussing a deal to keep him beyond 2013.  The first baseman/right fielder is set to earn $10MM next season.
  • The Tigers aren't interested in Soriano and plan to stay in-house to find their closer, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  Right-hander Bruce Rondon, 21, will get a chance at the job.  

Heyman On Yankees, Giants, Belt, Red Sox, Hamilton

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The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..

Hiroki Kuroda Rumors: Thursday

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Here's the latest on Hiroki Kuroda, who can now add the Red Sox to his growing list of suitors.  The newest items are at the top of the page…

  • Kuroda isn't limiting his choices to the Yankees or a return to Japan, reports Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  "I never said anything like that," Kuroda explains, adding that he is open to several options and hasn't yet made any decisions.  (Both links go to Hernandez's Twitter account.)
  • Several teams are interested in Kuroda and some have discussed two-year contracts, reports Dylan Hernandez.  The Dodgers are among the teams who have contacted Kuroda's representatives at the Octagon agency.  (Both links to Twitter.)
  • Kuroda is the Dodgers' "top choice" for the pitching staff, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  The Dodgers are checking in on most of the top free agent arms this offseason though Kuroda is a known quantity, having pitched for L.A. in his first four years in the majors.
  • While Kuroda is open to signing a one-year contract, such a deal would have to "significantly" top the Yankees' one-year, $13.3MM qualifying offer, a source tells Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

Red Sox Interested In Anibal Sanchez, Hiroki Kuroda

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2:57pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that the Red Sox have reached out to Hiroki Kuroda as well. The veteran right-hander is open to signing a one-year deal.

2:17pm: The Red Sox have interest in Anibal Sanchez, reports Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald. The team is also exploring trades for starting pitchers.

GM Ben Cherington was overseeing Boston's international scouting department when the team originally signed Sanchez out of Venezuela in 2001. The 28-year-old right-hander pitched to a 3.86 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 2.2 BB in 195 2/3 innings split between the Marlins and Tigers this year. Several other clubs have expressed interest in Sanchez as well, according to Silverman.

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked Sanchez as the second best free agent pitcher (behind Zack Greinke) and fourth best free agent overall in his Top 50 Free Agents list.

Cafardo On Shields, Twins, Wells, Red Sox, Aceves

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After 25 years as a General Manager and president of the Twins, Cubs, and Orioles, Andy MacPhail stepped away from baseball last season to take care of his ailing father.  Now, MacPhail tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he wants to return to baseball in some capacity.  The executive was often viewed as a future commissioner and it would make sense for him to get involved with the league office.  He also won’t rule out working as a GM again, but he has yet do discuss that with any team and most clubs already have their front office leadership in place.  Here’s more from Cafardo..

  • The Twins have already inquired on Rays pitcher James Shields.  Tampa Bay will field plenty of other calls on Shields in the coming weeks but whether they pull the trigger to obtain offense remains to be seen.  The Dodgers say they’re not shopping Andre Ethier, but it may make sense to use him to get Shields if they have their eye on Josh Hamilton.  The problem there is that the Rays may not be able to carry Ethier’s contract.
  • The Angels are shopping Vernon Wells in an effort to clear some of the $42MM still owed to him.  The Halos have tried to start talks with the Red Sox and would like to get John Lackey back, but the Sox are curious to see what Lackey looks like after Tommy John surgery.
  • There was speculation that the Red Sox were trying to include Alfredo Aceves in a deal for Dan Haren.  The Red Sox love Aceves’ arm and stuff, but could do without the high maintenance. Aceves is very much available, but they won’t give him away for nothing.  The pitcher can fill different roles, but he still prefers to start.
  • The Dodgers would love to reunite with free agent Hiroki Kuroda.  The hurler could have more suitors than any other pitcher this winter if the Yankees don’t tie him up quickly.
  • Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia is taking a wait-and-see approach on his agents, the Levinson brothers.  A few clients have already jumped ship but Pedroia noted that they have been good to him and his family.
  • The Red Sox would like to re-sign Vicente Padilla, but he is on the radar of a few teams, including the Angels, who are desperately looking to retool their bullpen.  Padilla ran out of gas late in the year but turned in a decent year in total.

Soriano, Swisher, Kuroda Obtain Qualifying Offers

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The Yankees extended qualifying offers to Rafael Soriano, Nick Swisher and Hiroki Kuroda, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The players now have one week to accept or decline the offers.

Soriano and Swisher are expected to decline the offers, but Kuroda could accept — he has indicated he’d be content to sign a one-year deal. If he accepts he’d earn $13.3MM on a one-year deal in 2013. If he declines, he’ll be linked to draft pick compensation in free agency — his new team will have to surrender a top selection to sign him. 

The three Yankees figure prominently on MLBTR’s top 50 free agent list. Swisher ranks sixth, Kuroda ranks ninth and Soriano ranks 17th.

Hiroki Kuroda Open To A One-Year Contract

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Hiroki Kuroda is open to signing a one-year contract, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, which could lead to "a reasonably quick deal" with the Yankees once the club makes its expected qualifying offer to the veteran right-hander on Friday.  Kuroda turns 38 in February and wishes to eventually pitch again in Japan, which is why he's amenable to a short-term agreement that would leave his options open for the future. 

Kuroda signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Yankees last offseason and was the most stable member of the New York rotation, posting a 3.32 ERA, a 3.27 K/BB ratio and a career-best 219 2/3 innings, topped by only five pitchers in baseball last year.  The qualifying offer would pay Kuroda $13.3MM in 2013, though Knobler notes that he could possibly turn the offer down in hopes of finding a slightly higher offer from the Yankees or another club.  The Royals and Padres are two teams rumored to have interest in Kuroda, though he will draw looks from several teams on the open market.

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