They tried to get Kuroda to waive his no trade and he said no, no, no.
Amongst all the baseball trade deadline deals there is one that jumped out the most. It was the deal that did not happen. It did not happen because the player that was the center piece of the deal didn’t want to be traded.
He had a no trade clause in his contract but all he had to do was agree to waive it and he was gone. However he told his club that he would not waive it – that instead he would veto any trade.
Now if you play for the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees that would be understandable. If you’re pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies than of course you nix the deal. But Hiroki Kuroda pitches for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yes, the same Dodgers that made news earlier this year because the owner made payroll. The same Dodgers that have been essentially taken over by Major League Baseball because the owner filed for bankruptcy. The same Dodgers that had to bring in nearly the entire LAPD to protect fans from getting beaten up in the parking lot.
And not only does a dark cloud hang over the Dodgers ownership situation, (there have
been speculations that this could linger well into 2013), the club currently resides in fourth place in the National League West, 11 games below .500.
The fans aren’t coming out and in at least in 2011 the Dodgers aren’t coming back. Thank God for Vin Scully, who is the only announcer in the game that can make Jamey Carroll, Rod Barajas and Mike McDougal sound interesting.
This was Kuroda’s shot to get out of purgatory, his chance at redemption – his ticket out of hell to possibly playoff heaven. The grass isn’t always greener…so the saying goes. Well in this case it was not only greener, it was paved with gold. It was indeed the Yankees and the Red Sox that were inquiring about Kuroda.
Kuroda didn’t make his decision based on support on the field. He has an ERA of 3.11, which made him one of the most coveted pitchers on the trade market, but he has a record of 6-13 because of a lack of runs.
The Dodgers score runs like the Democrats and Republicans agree on debt proposals – few and far between.
I admire Kuroda’s loyalty but question his mentality. He stated that he recalled the way he felt when he re-signed with the Dodgers and that he wanted to see it though until the end. Okay great. I guess you can’t hammer a guy for being loyal to the team that signed him to his first MLB contract in the United States (Kuroda started his career in Japan), but when the Yanks or Sox come calling, like winning the lottery, you cash in the ticket.
Rafael Furcal also had a no trade cause contract but he jumped at the chance to bail when the St. Louis Cardinals made a bid for him. Furcal was sent packing to St. Louis for a couple of minor league prospects.
The Furcal trade is great and the Kuroda deal would have been even better. The Dodgers aren’t going anywhere, the true definition of sellers. The only untouchables on the roster should be Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw. James Loney? Yeah trade him. He still doesn’t hit for power and if he could bring in a couple of top prospects, ship him.
The least the Dodgers could do is reward Kuroda for his loyalty with a new fat contract for next year. Oh never mind, with Frank McCourt still hanging around, nobody is getting a fat contract. Remember previous headlines: “McCourt Makes Payroll!”
Is there anyway the Dodgers could trade him?
That’s my principle.
Tim can be reached at tim@midvalleysports.com.
Leave a Reply