While the Boston Red Sox have been adding some low cost pitching depth over the past few days, is it possible that former Los Angeles Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda is coming to the Beantown? If we are to believe Jim Bowden of ESPN, the answer is yes.
On Bowden’s ESPN Insider blog, he reports that the Red Sox are closing in on a short-term deal with Kuroda. Just yesterday, Kuroda announced he would be staying in the United States for the 2012 season and not returning to his native Japan.
Here’s what Bowden had to say:
The Boston Red Sox appear to be closing in on a short-term deal with right-hander Hiroki Kuroda to add him to a rotation that already has Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard. This move, along with the trades for relievers Mark Melancon and Andrew Bailey, quickly puts the Red Sox back among the AL’s elite. Kuroda is extremely underrated for the valuable innings he can provide from the back of a rotation.
However, if we are to believe Alex Speier of WEEI.com, the Red Sox are not close to a deal with Kuroda.
According to a major league source, a report from ESPN’s Jim Bowden suggesting that the Red Sox are “closing in on a short-term deal” with free-agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda is inaccurate, with another source suggesting that such a claim was “baseless.”
The Red Sox did try to acquire Kuroda from the Dodgers last year at the trade deadline but Kuroda decided not to exercise his no-trade clause and stayed in the mess that Frank McCourt created with the team.
Kuroda went 13-16 with a 3.07 ERA for the Dodgers in 32 starts last season. He did go over the 200 innings mark (202) which is something the Red Sox didn’t get from any of there starters.
Given that Kuroda is seeking a short-term deal, he could fit into the Red Sox plans. Of course that is going to depend on how much money he wants for a one-year deal. But with the New York Yankees and other teams out there still needing starting pitching, it’s quite possible his short-term asking price could be too high for the wallets of the Red Sox ownership group.
This will definitely be something to keep an eye on though over the coming days.
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Photo credit: AP Photo
