Top arm from Japan expected to become MLB free agent

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.

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.