Hiroki Kuroda, Yankees agree to $15 million deal

NEW YORK (AP) — Hiroki Kuroda is staying with the New York Yankees after agreeing to a $15 million, one-year contract.

The Japanese star, who turns 38 in February, was the Yankees' most consistent pitcher during the regular season. He went 16-11, tying for the team lead in wins, and led New York with 33 starts and 219 2-3 innings.

After losing six of his first nine decisions, he finished with a 3.32 ERA that was second among New York starters behind Andy Pettitte's 2.87.

"I am very happy and excited to re-sign with the Yankees," Kuroda said in a statement. "I am very grateful for all of the interest and all of the offers that I received from the various teams that courted me. It was a tough decision for me to make, but at the end of the day, I wanted to try to win a championship with the teammates that I went to battle with last season."

Kuroda joined the Yankees after four seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, had a $10 million base salary last season and earned $1 million more in performance bonuses based on innings. He turned down a $13.3 million qualifying offer from the Yankees, and he would have cost a new team a selection in June's amateur draft.

He joins CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova in the Yankees' projected starting rotation for next season.

Pettitte, who came out of retirement to rejoin the Yankees, hasn't decided whether he wants to play next year.