Multiple West Coast clubs interested in Japanese ace Sugano (reports)
MLB.com is keeping track of the latest news and rumors surrounding Yomiuri Giants ace Tomoyuki Sugano, who is expected to become an MLB free agent this offseason.
Nov. 22: Sugano drawing interest from Angels, Giants (reports)
Roki Sasaki isn't the only marquee Japanese pitcher who is expected to make the jump to the Majors this offseason. The 35-year-old Sugano doesn't possess Sasaki's top-notch velocity, but as a two-time winner of the Sawamura Award -- the Japanese equivalent to the Cy Young Award -- Sugano should have his fair share of suitors.
Earlier this week, MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi identified one team to watch for Sugano: the Angels.
"I've heard there is some interest there," Morosi said.
On Friday, Morosi mentioned another team that is evaluating Sugano: the Giants.
During Monday's edition of Hot Stove, Morosi compared Sugano to Hiroki Kuroda, another Japanese right-hander who came to the Majors in his mid-30s and had a solid seven-year career from 2008-14 with the Dodgers and Yankees. Kuroda produced a 3.45 career ERA and averaged 188 innings per season.
The Angels, who have had a pretty busy offseason so far, ranked 28th in starter ERA this past season (4.97). Sugano posted a 1.67 ERA over 156 2/3 innings with the Yomiuri Giants in 2024.
The San Francisco Giants are interested in bringing back Blake Snell, but they face a lot of competition for his services and may need to look elsewhere to fill that hole in their rotation.
Oct. 4: Sugano set to become MLB free agent
After over a decade in Nippon Professional Baseball, Sugano will finally come to MLB in 2025, according to a report from ESPN's Jeff Passan on Friday.
Sugano would be an international free agent, so he will not need to be posted by the Yomiuri Giants, and he will not be subject to the contract negotiation rules of the Japanese posting system.
The veteran right-hander, who turns 35 on Oct. 11, has been one of the best pitchers in Japan over his 12-season career in NPB. In that time, Sugano has gone 136-74 with a 2.43 ERA and 1,585 strikeouts. He is a two-time MVP of NPB's Central League, winning in 2014 and 2020, and a two-time winner of the Sawamura Award -- Japan's version of the Cy Young -- in 2017 and 2018.
Sugano was actually posted by Yomiuri before, in 2020, with the intent of coming to the Major Leagues then. But he did not agree to a deal with an MLB team by the end of the posting window, and he returned to Japan to continue to pitch for the Giants, where he's been his entire professional career.