Hiroki Kuroda

[Rennie Stennett]

Hiroki Kuroda has played his whole career for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Over his career, he has appeared in about 22 games per year, 15 of which he started. His winning percentage is at .536. Interesting is his habit of throwing complete games. Hiroki has 74 complete games in 151 starts. he has logged 1700 innings in his ten years in the japan league. 1999 was the last time he had less than 140 innings in his career. It seems he is quite durable. Sure in Japan they play about 30 games less per year in the regular season. I think he will do just fine.

The M's have a Japanese speaking catcher, which should be attractive for a Japanese player coming over for the first time. Also, Ichiro is with the Mariners and the M's have a Japanese/American interpretor. The lastest word is he wants to play on the West Coast and Seattle and the LA Angels are in the running. If the Angels pick him up, I think I'll throw up.

http://japanesebaseball.com/players/player.jsp?PlayerID=986

http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/mariners/index.html#020657

[leecemark]

--The Angels don't seem to have the need for another starting pitcher. I don't know that Kuroda would even crack their rotation and he almost certainly wouldn't be a big upgrade if he did. The Mariners, of course, are another story. We desparately need pitching.
--Kuroda is probably not an ace, but he might be as good as Miguel Batista which would give us depth anyway. I've heard he is getting offers as high as 4/60 though and that is alot to pay for a good, not great, starters from Japan whose age and conversion to MLB make him something of a question mark. If the bidding is really that high (and who knows about rumors) I'd probably pass. The trade market has some better - although very expensive in terms of prospects - options.

[Rennie Stennett]

They don't have any chose really. They have to cough up the 4/60. It's that bad in mudville. All this talk about still alive for the Santana thing is just crazy. every year they say this about the best free agent pitcher and every year they get squat. Look at us M's fans, we are really trying for ya. If it cost Morrow and Jones I'd say no thanks. Santana is older. He's been hur in the past. I would stay clear of him. Lets see what happens to Morrow when they let him start.

[Disgruntaledmarinerfan]

I have mixed feeling about signing Kuroda. At first he seems to be a fairly decent starting pitcher, something the mariners need in the worst possible way. But he is coming from Japan into a completely different league meaning it's hard to tell exactly how well he will do over here in America.
Also he isn't exactly a spring chicken, he's already 32, which by many standards is usually when players decline, which wouldn't be a huge problem if he didn't want a four year contract. By the time his contract is up he'll be 36, there's no telling if he will be any good at all by then.

There are a lot question marks IMO about Kuroda, he seems somewhat risky. but he is a Starting pitcher....

[Wade8813]

I wouldn't worry too much about him declining. I haven't really looked into it, but I'm pretty sure the decline for most 32 year olds isn't too drastic. Also, getting a workhorse would be great, because there were many times last year that our bullpen fell apart because of over-use.

Also, at least according to the latest articles I've seen from the Seattle times, the terms are 4 years for $40 million, not $60 million.

I like our odds of getting Kuroda. There aren't a lot of teams that were fighting for him (and IIRC, one or two have dropped out), and it sounds like our offer might be as good or better than the others. And the fact that we have the other Japanese players is probably a big benefit (it would be with anyone from another country, but even more with Japanese players, because of their culture).

[leecemark]

--I agree that Santana is unlikely. The price is high (both talent and dollars), he has a no-trade and appears to wwant to go East and would be a free agent after 1 season. Eric Bedard seems a much better option. He would be slightly cheaper in terms of both talent and dollars and is locked up for 2 years. Kuroda would be okay if he is the second best pitcher we acquire this offseason, but with his price tag that seems too much to expect.
--A trade for an ace with the other starter we needs coming from one fo our internal options would be my first choice. Swapping for a talented, but overpaid and/or injury risk pitchers is another option. At least the talent price would be lower (our bad Sexson contract for somebody elses bad pitchign contract?) and there would be a chance of some upside. That kind of deal, plus Kuroda as a safer bet would work.

[SABR Matt]

The Mariners will expand their payroll if necessary to get two pitchers...there's no logical reason we can't sign Kuroda and a stop-gap outfielder and trade for Bedard.

[Rennie Stennett]

If Hiroki Kuroda could throw like Batista last year, I'd be happy. I'd love to see Morrow stretch out and perhaps start. I can inivision "good morning, good afternoon, and good night with Morrow. Baek will be around. It should be an interesting camp. Jorge Campillo could be a sleeper. He's not affraid to go up and in. Bradley Richard Thomas is getting work in relief for his Winter League Club. He's '6 - 4", 235 lb, bats L, throws L.

Julio Mateo was released by I think the Phillies. I know he went through DV but he can get guys out. Everyone deserves another shot.

[SABR Matt]

Campillo is no longer a Mariner...he opted for free agency when the Ms DFA'd him after the WS.

Kuroda is a significantly better pitcher than Batista if his arm is healthy...he's a solid #3 on a contender...maybe even a 2 in his first season until the league books him.

The Dodgers have offered a disgustingly overweight package for Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada including Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp, Juan Pierre, Chin-Lung Hu and Jonathan Broxton.

I'm thinking the Mariners no longer have a shot at Bedard if the Orioles are smart.

[leecemark]

--Kemp is a comparable talent to Jones. Is Kershaw a better offer than Morrow? Pierre reduces the value of the Dodgers offer IMO. They are just trying to dump a bad contract there. Don't know anything about Hu or Broxton. I think we could make at least a comparable offer. Whether we would - or should - is another question.

[SABR Matt]

Ms won't take on Tejada's salary. That's what I was saying when I said we couldn't top that.

I'd take Morrow over Kershaw even though Kershaw has WAY more talent. Morrow is a much safer play who has already proven he can get major leaguers out. I'd take Jones over Kemp (because Kemp is awkward defensively whereas, given time, Jones will be butter smooth...Cameron-esque)...though I'd rather have Broxton than Sherrill (the guy the Ms are offering), it's not that huge a gap, and Pierre is AWFUL but that's just to defray the cost of acquiring Tejada.

In order to win Bedard, the Ms will have to either take on Tejada's salary or agree to take Jay Payton and give up Wlad Balentien as well as Sherrill.

[SABR Matt]

My Japanese informants are telling me Kuroda is going to the Dodgers. I'm hoping this will cause them to rescind their offer for Bedard (why give up your best pitching prospects and your hotshot CFer and saddle yourself with a bad contract (Tejada) when you can just sign Kuroda and call it a day?) and the Mariners can land the real prize.

[Rennie Stennett]

we could pick up some of these guys:

Livan Hernandez

Masafumi Hirai

Kyle Lohse

Sidney Ponson

Glendon Rusch

Carlos Silva

Steve Trachsel

Jon Lieber

Freddy Garcia (injury)

Bartolo Colon

If I was a pitcher, I would consider Safeco Field as a home park. Also, you have a pretty good defense behind you.

[SABR Matt]

All of those guys suck with the possible exception of Freddy Garcia if he can come back healthy.

[Rennie Stennett]

they all suck ?

[Wade8813]

Tejada just got sent to Houston, so we don't have to worry about the O's trying to make us take on his salary, or anything.

[SABR Matt]

Yes...I'm serious.

Dude...every one of those pitchers is worthless except Garcia if healthy.

Most of the pitchers on your list were bad pitchers in the NL last year (check those AWFUL K/BB ratios and high hit rates!)...and the NL is the inferior league. Mediocre NL pitchers die horrible painful deaths in the AL (see: Ramirez, Horacio).

Colon is a fat toad with no stamina and a dead arm.

Silva sucked in Minny for a reason. BLECH!