Fastball

Baltimore Orioles Reportedly Had Interest in Former Blue Jays, Mariners Pitcher Yusei Kikuchi

The lefty, who really took off after a mid-season trade to the Houston Astros, just signed a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels.

Brady Farkas

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) pitches to the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning at Rogers Centre on July 20.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (16) pitches to the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning at Rogers Centre on July 20. / Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
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Last week, left-hander Yusei Kikuchi signed a three-year deal worth $63 million with the Los Angeles Angels. However, before he made that commitment, the Baltimore Orioles allegedly had interest in his services.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote that in a column on Monday:

The Baltimore Orioles were in on Snell and Kikuchi, pitchers who were particularly attractive to them because they were not tied to qualifying offers and could be signed without losing a draft pick.

The lack of draft pick loss was certainly attractive to teams, and Kikuchi allegedly had a robust market from the outset of free agency.

A native of Japan, Kikuchi made 32 starts last season, showing a strong level of dependability. He also made 32 in 2023 with the Toronto Blue Jays. Furthermore, after a mid-season trade from Toronto to Houston in 2024, he went 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA. He struck out 206 total batters for the year in 175.2 innings, flashing elite level stuff. He has a mid-90s fastball and a wipeout slider and he helped the Astros win the American League West yet again.

Before getting to Toronto and Houston, Kikuchi spent three years with the Mariners after coming over from Japan, going 15-24 in his tenure. One of the more frustrating pitchers in recent M's memory, he failed to be consistent. He made the All-Star Game with Seattle in 2021 but didn't even finish the year in the rotation that season.

Now, he'll try to help the Angels break the longest playoff drought in the sport.

As for the Orioles, they've struck out on Snell and Kikuchi. They could try to sign ace lefty Max Fried or bring back Corbin Burnes, but if they don't want to shop at the top of the food chain, they could elect to get into the Garrett Crochet trade market.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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