Last year, Hiroki Kuroda tied for the team lead in wins for the Yankees (16) with Phil Hughes. Kuroda’s 3.32 ERA led the Yanks among ERA qualifiers. Since he only signed for one season, he was a free agent.
Today, it was announced that Kuroda will return with the Yanks for 2013. While I am concerned about his age, (38 next spring), it is a big signing. He slots in at #2 behind CC.
He had a good postseason, but as we know from this postseason, good starts by the starters were wasted by a dead Yankees lineup.
While I am worried about the Yanks aging, bringing back Kuroda is a good move, especially since it is only on a one-year deal.
Welcome Back, Kuroda.
The signing of Kuroda, however, is a major step toward retaining the Yankees’ starting rotation, which was one of the strongest units on the team that won 95 games and finished atop the AL East before collapsing in the postseason.
Of course, it wasn’t the pitching that collapsed in the postseason, but the bats.