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The hot stove around Major League Baseball is starting to really heat up as the Winter Meetings approach. The Dodgers and Angels are both looking to bolster the back-end of their rotations, and many feel they could each add a pitcher or two through free agency to accomplish this.
Most felt free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda would either re-sign with the New York Yankees or return home to Japan to finish his career. That is not the case, as ESPN Los Angeles reported, and now both L.A. teams are joining the bidding. Kuroda's preference is to pitch in Southern California to be near his two daughters who are currently in elementary school.
Kuroda pitched for the Dodgers from 2008 to 2011. He ended up leaving for New York because of the financial concerns Los Angeles' front office was facing, and he went on to post a 16-11 record with a 3.32 ERA in the Bronx in 2012. He will be 38-years-old in February and is likely looking at a one- or two-year deal, which would work for either the Dodgers or the Angels.