San Francisco Giants Reportedly Evaluating Japanese Free Agent Tomoyuki Sugano

Tomoyuki Sugano, looking to make the move to MLB after a 12-year stint with the Yomiuri Giants, is apparently being courted by the San Francisco Giants as well.

Mar 21, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Japan pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (11) throws a pitch in the first inning against United States during the 2017 World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium. / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The list of teams known to be going after right-handed pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano continues to grow.

A few days after the Los Angeles Angels emerged as a leading suitor to land the Japanese free agent, another West Coast club got linked to Sugano. According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the San Francisco Giants are among the teams evaluating Sugano.

Sugano, 35, spent the last 12 seasons with Nippon Professional Baseball's Yomiuri Giants. In that time, he was 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.

Tomoyuki Sugano’s image on a wall of Yomiuri Giants legends at the Tokyo Dome. The @MLB team by the same name — the San Francisco Giants — are among the teams evaluating Sugano, 35, now that he has global free agency rights this offseason. ⁦@MLBNetwork⁩ pic.twitter.com/kPOxxDtmX5

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 23, 2024

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.

Yomiuri 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.

While Sugano looks to be leaving those Giants behind, he could wind up with their sister club on the other side of the Pacific.

San Francisco has Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Kyle Harrison in place as their starting pitchers as the offseason gets underway, in addition to swingman Jordan Hicks. Two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who the Giants signed last winter, opted out of his contract and hit free agency again earlier this month.

With Snell on the open market and Keaton Winn still recovering from UCL surgery, there is a free spot in San Francisco's rotation. That could either go to an outside addition like Sugano, or a young internal piece such as Landen Roupp, Hayden Birdsong, Mason Black or Carson Whisenhunt.

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.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.