The San Francisco Giants have been trying to add more international talent to their squad for years now and could have a second chance at a Japanese ace this offseason.
ESPN Insider Jeff Passan recently shared that Nippon Professional Baseball veteran Tomoyuki Sugano is expected to finally sign with an MLB team after a resurgent year of baseball in Japan.
Sugano, about to be 35, worked his way to a very impressive 1.67 ERA over 24 starts this past season. He has at least some gas left in the tank as he finally looks to come to America.
Back in 2020, he was posted for MLB clubs and the Giants were reportedly one of the teams in the mix to sign him. The pitcher ended up not signing a contract and went back to Tokyo to continue his legendary career.
As they are still trying to compete right away, could San Francisco finally try to go the job done and bring him to the bay?
Sugano, at his peak, was one of the best pitchers in the world. He’s maintained an at least solid status throughout his entire 12-year career for NPB and the Yomiuri Giants.
He’s a two-time MVP, most recently in 2020, an eight-time All-Star.
The righty has a career 2.45 ERA in 1,873.1 innings pitched.
He brings an exceedingly-rare six-pitch mix to the table. He throws both a four-seam and two-seam fastball. Also in his tool bag are a mid-to-low 80s slider, cutter and splitter. Rounding it out is a 77 mph curveball.
The Giants could do worse than bringing him over in an attempt to bolster their sub-mediocre starting rotation from this past season.
As a staff, they ranked just No. 18 in ERA and No. 23 in WAR. With Blake Snell hitting free agency, the only guaranteed starter that is for sure returning is Logan Webb.
Hayden Birdsong and Kyle Harrison both showed flashes, but are not yet pitchers that one should stake a season on.
Sugano is a low-risk investment. While he likely won’t translate into a sub-2.00 ERA guy in the Majors, he has a ton of experience and could turn into an amazing second or third pitcher in a rotation.
It’s going to be a very busy pitching market in the offseason and will likely be a value add compared to some of the big names, like Snell, that are going to be on the move this winter.
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