More on Hiroki Kuroda

Not much happening in Mariner land these days - hopefully they're gearing up for the Winter meetings and filling some of the monstrous holes we have in this roster. But there have been a few interesting articles about Kuroda and who might be serious players:

The LA Daily suggests the M's have made a three year offer for $30 mil

MLB.com says the mighty Royals are interested, which has to mean the price isn't going to get too terribly high you'd think (or they're just posturing for fans).

A story from the "AZ Snakepit" suggests that Kuroda's home park was one of the most offensively friendly parks in Japan. I have nothing to back that up - but if it's true, perhaps the Safe could be a good environment for him (of course, they're saying the same thing about Chase field). Apparently, his home park was 300 to left and 300 to right and just 380 dead center. I think I'm going to get my old Easton out of the basement and hit the batting cage - I might even be able to hit a few bombs there...

From MLB Trade Rumors, via Yahoo! Japan Kuroda is seeking 4 years, $45 mil and hopes to make his decision tomorrow (the 29th)! Holy crap.

And lastly, Kuroda has his own website: www.kuro15.com It's all in Japanese, so I don't understand a damned thing he's saying, but I decided to run his last post through Alta Vista Babelfish and got this:

"You neglected. It came to the point of doing the representative and meeting on the 28th. Simply, when you decide, whether in newspaper reporting and the like in that day carp remaining behind or measure transfer it had come out, but there are no times when conclusion is put out in that day. The day the representative coming from America, receives present historical report, among those would like to think of directivity once more securely. In addition there was also reporting the contact with シアトルマリナーズ, but the fact that it has contact is fact, but it does not receive either bidding because and, you greeted just is truly casually, is not the case that directivity is decided, is. Simply it receives the report from the representative on the 28th and thinks once more securely and the directivity whether if remaining behind or measure transfer of can put out conclusion ahead of time, with you think."

And that almost certainly translates into good news for the Mariners, don't you think? Hmmm...