Bomber Bites With Jumping Joe–Yankees Should Avoid Hiroki Kuroda

By the end of last season the Yankees had managed to weather a storm that wreaked havoc on their starting rotation.  Four of the five Opening Day starters hit the DL by the All Star break.  Ivan Nova had Tommy John surgery.  CC Sabathia had knee surgery and was out for the year.  Masahiro Tanaka managed to rehab his elbow but remains a time bomb for his own Tommy John surgery.

But Shane Greene proved to be a revelation up from the minors.  Brandon McCarthy had a brilliant second half after being acquired from the Diamondbacks.  Both are now ex-Yankees.  Greene gone to Detroit in the Didi Gregorius deal and McCarthy signing with the Dodgers last night. 

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The Yankee rotation currently shakes out to Tanaka, Sabathia, Michael Pineda, David Phelps and Chase Whitley.  Manny Banuelos will also be given an opportunity to win a spot in spring training.  Nova will be back around the All Star break.  Thus, the rotation consists of three major injury concerns in Tanaka (elbow), Sabathia (knee) and Pineda (everything), a career swingman (Phelps) and pair of unproven youngsters in Whitley and Banuelos.  Not exactly a championship level starting staff.

Mandatory Credit: Chad R. MacDonald.

However, that possibly bleak picture should not result in a panic call from GM Brian Cashman to a certain 39 year old Japanese import.  Hiroki Kuroda is not the answer to the Yankees rotation question.

While Kuroda was the only Yankee starter to avoid a stint on the DL last season, he is still ancient.  The Yankees should continue their process of getting younger.  Kuroda does not help that cause.  In addition, it is also unlikely that Kuroda can assist with making the Yankees a better team.

Kuroda was consistent last season going 11-9 with a 3.71 ERA.  However, those numbers are turning the Yankees into a contender.  They also aren’t substantially better than what Whitley or Banuelos would offer.  In fact, since those numbers are about as good as Kuroda can reasonably be and we don’t know how good Whitley or Banuelos could be with a full season in the bigs, Kuroda could effectively hurt the Yankees.

The Yankees should save any money they would have to pay Kuroda and reinvest it elsewhere.  Trying to sign Kuroda now would be a panic move for the Yankees.  If the Yankees are committed to getting younger and better, there is simply no room for him.