The Hiroki Kuroda signing is finally official and to make room on the 40-man roster for him the Yankees have designated righty Kevin Whelan for assignment, according to Bryan Hoch and Jon Heyman.
“I feel happy to be a part of such a storied franchise, which is always in contention for a World Series,” Kuroda said. “I am also very proud to be a part of this current team, which boasts so many great players. As a member of the Yankees, I would like to do my part by doing the best I can throughout the season. I hope that I can make a difference in achieving the team’s ultimate goal, which is to win the World Series.”
Teams now have 10 days to claim Whelan otherwise he will stay in the Yankees system. He was originally acquired back in 2006 in a sign and trade with the Tigers for Gary Sheffield. The Yankees also landed Humberto Sanchez and Anthony Claggett.
Whelan had a good year in Triple-A last year putting up a 2.75 ERA, a 9.3 K/9, and a 2.4 BB/9 over 52.1 innings. Because he is 28...
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