Trade Targets: Hiroki Kuroda

Hiroki Kuroda

The man from Japan Hiroki Kuroda has been solid in the dodger rotation despite only posting a winning record once in his 4 years in the states. There is no Cliff Lee or Roy Oswalt available on the market this year and Kuroda is probably the best rental starter available which means that the Yankees and the Red Sox will both be looking into him, as well as other contenders who need a starting pitcher. Kuroda has posted a 3.56 ERA in a total of 586.2 IP. Kuroda has a full no-trade clause and he did re-sign with the Dodgers this off-season despite all the McCourt mess that is going on. That being said while his ERA is lower than last year he has give up 11 HR in 89.2 IP while he gave up 15 all last year in 196.1 IP and while is still early his WHIP is much higher and his K rate is down slightly from last year. Another interesting note is that despite playing in the National League Kuroda is a horrendous batter and has only 2 RBI's in 205 PA and a BA of .096, I would assume that he would have gotten better over time, but both those came in his first year in the MLB. Personally I would much prefer Wandy Rodriguez to Kuroda due to his being a lefty, younger than Kuroda and the fact that Wandy is under contract until 2014 while Kuroda has a 1 year deal. I would much prefer Kuroda or Wandy to Big Z and Ryan Dempster which others seem obsessed with. Normally a team would not be able to ask for too much for Kuroda but in this thin market and with Kuroda's no trade clause he will draw more for the Dodgers especially if teams get into a bidding war, but the Yankees do always have the advantage of being able to take on more money from his $12 million deal.