Late Innings

After months of constant speculation, the Dodgers finally signed Hiroki Kuroda to a 3 year/35.2MM contract. Ned Colletti arguably labeled him as the best pitcher on the free agent market, and as it shows he wasn’t a cheap signing. He’ll immediately be penciled in with Brad Penny and Derek Lowe in the rotation. In addition to the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks and the Royals were also fighting for his services. The one benefit for Kuroda however is that he’ll be pitching in the National League. Personally I project a 13-10 3.80 ERA season from him.

When looking at the Japanese signings, I often wonder if teams even scout these players. There’s an obvious risk in making these acquisitions, mainly since the players haven’t shown to be capable of playing in the Majors. Japanese pitchers might be able to perform well overseas, however there are a series of intangibles that could affect the player (see Kei Igawa and Yankee stadium.) In other words, the Dodgers could either have a strong innings-eater, or they could have a bust.

Nonetheless this signing was good for the Dodgers for two reasons. First they countered the Diamondbacks’ recent Dan Haren acquisition. Secondly they didn’t have to surrender a Matt Kemp to acquire a pitcher of either Johan Santana or Erik Bedard’s caliber (a hitter who will hit 30-40 HR if given an everyday spot in the lineup.) Kuroda (and a healthy Jason Schmidt) will improve their rotation on the whole, however they surely lack the 1-2 punch that Arizona has with Brandon Webb and Dan Haren.