clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

MLB free agents: Hiroki Kuroda declines Yankees' qualifying offer

With Hiroki Kuroda's decision to turn down the Yankees' qualifying offer, the Dodgers will now be forced to give up their first-round draft selection if they're still interested in bringing the veteran pitcher back to Los Angeles.

Elsa

Pitcher Hiroki Kuroda rejected the Yankees' one-year, $13.3 million qualifying offer Friday, meaning the Los Angeles Dodgers will have to forfeit their first-round pick if they're truly interested in signing the Japanese product.

Kuroda was spectacular in his first year in New York last season, tossing a career-high 219 2/3 innings with a 16-11 record and a 3.32 ERA. Before making the jump to the Big Apple, Kuroda spent the previous four years with the Dodgers as a dependable, middle-of-the-rotation starter.

As Eric Stephen of True Blue LA points out, Kuroda is an attractive option to the Dodgers because he's only looking for a one or two-year deal at age 38. The issue at hand is whether Kuroda is worth their No. 19 overall draft pick, especially with top-of-the-line starters like Anibal Sanchez and Zack Greinke also on the market.

Right now, it's looking like fans will just have to wait until the winter meetings in early December to find out who the Dodgers will inevitable throw bundles of cash at next.