According to the Tacoma News Tribune, Seattle is actively pursueing Hiroki Kuroda, a 32 year old starter from Japan. In his 11 year career he has amassed 103 wins and 89 losses. His last 3 seasons have been far more successful, posting a 40 win - 26 loss record. He is reported to have a mid-90s fastball, a forkball and a slider (all above-average).
Since he has been playing professional for over 10 years he does not require a posting fee. This is very nice for us since we will not be wasting plenty of money on the posting fee alone.
It is reported that he is leaning towards a west coast team, and perfers west coast teams. The Mariners have a huge advantage having Ichiro and Johjima to sway him towards the Mariners.
Other teams interested in Kuroda are the Cubs, Phillies, Dodgers and the Rangers.
Source: http://seattlemariners.com
11/21/07
Hiroki Kuroda
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2 comments:
he's reportedly looking for 11 million per, i'm hoping bavasi can sign him for 9 or 10. i have a good feeling Seattle will get him, though. I think being able to go to a MLB team with a Japanese catcher would be too hard to resist for a lot of Japanese starters.
I really hope we get him...This will eliminate one of our glaring holes this offseason...Hopefully we can sign one more pitcher this offseason but even if we don't I feel confident that one of the young guys can step up and be a decent #5 starter...
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