Report: Yankees Doubtful On Making Qualifying Offer To Hiroki Kuroda

It appears the New York Yankees have made a decision on one of their free agents. Per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports and the MLB Network, the team will pass on making starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda a qualifying offer this off-season. That means that whomever signs Kuroda in free agency, won’t have to give the Yankees a compensatory draft pick. Heyman had also previously reported that the Yankees were most likely going to make closer David Robertson a qualifying offer.

Kuroda, who last season, contemplated a return to Japan to pitch, a return to New York to pitch, or retirement, finished last season at 11-9 with an ERA of 3.71. He made just over $15 million dollars. The only other team Kuroda said he was willing to pitch for, was his original big league team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. With Kuroda’s impending departure from the Bronx, it opens up not only more cash, but a rotation spot for a free agent pitcher such as Brandon McCarthy, Jon Lester, Max Scherzer, or James Shields to replace him.