Japanese Free Agent Tomoyuki Sugano Reportedly Drawing Interest From Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels have emerged as one of the teams pursuing veteran starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano, who is looking to join MLB after 12 seasons in Japan.

Mar 21, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Japan starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (11) pitches against the United States during the first inning of the 2017 World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium. / Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images

With right-handed pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano set to leave Japan this winter, one team is already lining up to pursue the veteran hurler.

Sugano, 35, spent the last 12 seasons with Nippon Professional Baseball's Yomiuri Giants. In that time, he has been named an All-Star eight times, earned two Central League MVPs and won two Eiji Sawamura Awards – the NPB equivalent of a Cy Young.

Reports surfaced in early October that Sugano was looking to make the move to MLB, and his decade-plus of experience means he won't be subject to the posting system, either. MLB Network insider Jon Morosi shared an update on the early conditions of Sugano's market on Monday's episode of "Hot Stove," and he singled out one team that is already showing interest.

"One team I'm watching carefully ... for Tomoyuki Sugano – the Los Angeles Angels," Morosi said. "I've heard there is some interest there."

The Angels already added longtime Chicago Cubs veteran Kyle Hendricks to their rotation earlier this month, but they are unlikely to stop there.

José Soriano and Tyler Anderson are projected to hold down the top two spots, while the last two spots could go to homegrown prospects Jack Kochanowicz, Reid Detmers or Caden Dana. If Los Angeles doesn't want to lean so heavily on unproven arms, though, Sugano presents an intriguing alternative.

Sugano has gone 136-75 with a 2.45 ERA, 1.035 WHIP and 1,596 strikeouts over the course of his professional career. He ended 2024 with a 15-3 record, 1.67 ERA, 0.945 WHIP and 6.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Despite the buzz surrounding him this offseason, this isn't the first time Sugano has shown interest in coming to the States.

The Giants posted Sugano in December 2020, but he did not reach an agreement with an MLB team before his posting window closed in January 2021. Even though he had enough experience to circumvent the posting system the following winter, Sugano elected to remain in Japan again.

Tatsunori Hara, Sugano's uncle, stepped down as the Giants' manager in 2023 after 17 years at the helm. Yomiuri replaced him with Shinnosuke Abe, who was Sugano's catcher between 2013 and 2019.

Abe apparently wasn't enough to keep Sugano around for the long run, and now he is making his long-delayed move across the Pacific Ocean.

In his breakdown of Sugano's free agency, Morosi added that he reminds him a lot of another 6-foot-1, Japanese righty who came stateside in the 2000s.

"I'm making the comparison ... to one of the other great pitchers who came over from Japan to MLB in his mid-30s – Hiroki Kuroda." Morosi said. "Remember him? One of the great veterans of the Dodgers and Yankees? I see a lot of Kuroda in Tomoyuki Sugano."

Kuroda went 124-105 with a 3.55 ERA, 1.246 WHIP and 1,461 strikeouts across 13 NPB seasons. After arriving in MLB at 33 years old, Kuroda went 79-79 with a 3.45 ERA, 1.172 WHIP, 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings and a 21.6 WAR in four seasons with the Dodgers and three with the Yankees.

If Sugano can replicate that kind of production, the Angels would certainly be happy to add him.

Sugano is one of three top-tier Japanese pitchers hitting MLB free agency this winter. The Chunichi Dragons are posting Shinnosuke Ogasawara, while the Chiba Lotte Marines are letting 23-year-old ace Roki Sasaki walk as well.

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