Free-agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda has agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Yankees, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.
The contract is worth $15 million, plus incentives that are worth less than $1 million, the sources added.
The Yankees were the only club Kuroda would have signed with if he stayed in the U.S. and put off a return to Japan, agents and clubs with knowledge of the talks said. Other teams that had been reported as having interest in Kuroda -- particularly the Los Angeles Dodgersand Los Angeles Angels -- shifted their focus elsewhere.
The Dodgers, who were described by ESPNLosAngeles.com last week as having a "presumptive edge" in the bidding for Kuroda, turned their attention away from Kuroda in recent days, and are now pursuing Zack Greinke,Anibal Sanchez, Ryan Dempster and others.
ESPNLosAngeles.com reported on Friday that Kuroda had told friends that his first preference was to pitch in Southern California, where his two daughters are attending elementary school. Kuroda spent his first four seasons in the major leagues pitching for the Dodgers and hasn't uprooted his family.
However, he had his best season in the big leagues in New York this year, going 16-11 with a 3.32 ERA, two shutouts and a career high 219 2/3 innings pitched.
He finished eighth in the league in both ERA and WHIP. His 2.72 ERA at home was the second-lowest, since the opening of the new Yankee Stadium, by any Yankees pitcher who made at least 10 home starts in a season. And his 2.92 ERA from May 27 on was the fourth-lowest among all AL starters, trailing only David Price, Matt Harrison and Justin Verlander.
Information from ESPN.com's Jayson Stark and ESPNLosAngeles.com's Mark Saxon was used in this report.
http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/sto...k-yankees-agree-one-year-15m-deal-sources-say
The contract is worth $15 million, plus incentives that are worth less than $1 million, the sources added.
The Yankees were the only club Kuroda would have signed with if he stayed in the U.S. and put off a return to Japan, agents and clubs with knowledge of the talks said. Other teams that had been reported as having interest in Kuroda -- particularly the Los Angeles Dodgersand Los Angeles Angels -- shifted their focus elsewhere.
The Dodgers, who were described by ESPNLosAngeles.com last week as having a "presumptive edge" in the bidding for Kuroda, turned their attention away from Kuroda in recent days, and are now pursuing Zack Greinke,Anibal Sanchez, Ryan Dempster and others.
ESPNLosAngeles.com reported on Friday that Kuroda had told friends that his first preference was to pitch in Southern California, where his two daughters are attending elementary school. Kuroda spent his first four seasons in the major leagues pitching for the Dodgers and hasn't uprooted his family.
However, he had his best season in the big leagues in New York this year, going 16-11 with a 3.32 ERA, two shutouts and a career high 219 2/3 innings pitched.
He finished eighth in the league in both ERA and WHIP. His 2.72 ERA at home was the second-lowest, since the opening of the new Yankee Stadium, by any Yankees pitcher who made at least 10 home starts in a season. And his 2.92 ERA from May 27 on was the fourth-lowest among all AL starters, trailing only David Price, Matt Harrison and Justin Verlander.
Information from ESPN.com's Jayson Stark and ESPNLosAngeles.com's Mark Saxon was used in this report.
http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/sto...k-yankees-agree-one-year-15m-deal-sources-say
