Zaidi: SF Giants in discussions to re-sign former Pirates slugger, NPB star

The SF Giants are in discussions with former NPB superstar Yoshi Tsutsugo about re-signing him to a minor-league contract.

The SF Giants are in conversations with free-agent designated hitter/first baseman Yoshi Tsutsugo to re-sign him to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to MLB spring training, Farhan Zaidi told reporters during a media availability on Wednesday. Tsutsugo inked a minor-league deal with the Giants late last season and hit .296/.451/.537 between the team's Double-A and Triple-A affiliates.

Pirates 1B Yoshi Tsutsugo at bat against the Brewers at American Family Field. (2022) / Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

“He did a great job for us in Double A and Triple A, he swung the bat really well coming out of independent ball,” Zaidi told Baggarly. “Hopefully, if we can get a deal done, we’ll have him in big-league camp and give him an opportunity to make our team. He’s got a great track record in Japan, he’s had some success over here, and he thinks he figured out something with his swing later in the season. We saw really good results.”

Tsutsugo starred in Japan with the Yokohama DeNA Bay Stars from 2010-2019, hitting .285/.382/.528 with 205 home runs in exactly 4,000 plate appearances. Following a stretch from 2016-2019 that featured a 45, he decided to make the jump to MLB. He signed a two-year, $12 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Heading to the majors for the unprecedented pandemic-shortened 2020 season surely made things even more difficult for Tsutsugo than they already were. Unsurprisingly, he struggled to find his footing. Playing nearly every day with Tampa between designated hitter, left field, and third base, he hit .198/.314/.395 with eight home runs in 51 games. After struggling even more mightily in 2021, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a player to be named later.

Tsutsugo was even less productive during his short stint in Southern Carlifornia and was released before the end of the season.  Shortly after his release, Tsutsugo joined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization on a minor-league deal. He quickly received a call-up and, for the first time in his big-league career, he was productive. In 43 games to finish the 2021 campaign, he hit .268/.347/.535 with eight doubles, eight home runs, 15 walks, and 33 strikeouts in 144 plate appearances.

Returning to Pittsburgh in 2022, Tsutsugo was unable to pick up where he left off. While he had an explosive week in the minor leagues, the left-handed power hitter posted a .478 OPS across 50 games before the Pirates designated him for assignment, eventually releasing him. He finished the season with the Toronto Blue Jays Triple-A affiliate, hitting .265/.381/.459 in 29 games, before inking a deal with Texas during the offseason.

Tsutsugo was solid at Triple-A for the Rangers, hitting .249/.380/.432, but did not see a path to playing time in Texas. However, with teams dealing with minor league roster crunches as a result of MLB instituting a 180-player cap, he was unable to find a landing spot. So, relegated to the Atlantic League, he absolutely crushed opposing pitching, highlighted by seven home runs in 12 games before first signing with the Giants.

It's hard to imagine Yoshi Tsutsugo cracking the SF Giants Opening Day roster given the team's depth of corner bats and explicit desire to get more athletic this offseason. Tsutsugo has played all over the diamond, but is primarily a first baseman/left fielder. Still, if he returns on a minor-league deal, he will be in prime position to earn a call up at Triple-A.