Elite Veteran Japanese Starter Would Help San Francisco Giants Rotation

The San Francisco Giants could use the right-hander in the middle of their rotation.

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

The San Francisco Giants have done a decent job finding international talent over the past few years, a promising sign as they look to continue developing their international scouting department.

Finding players who have found success in other countries is always a positive, as most of the top players in Major League Baseball aren't from America. 

There will be an opportunity for them to do so again this winter, and while Roki Sasaki will be the top prize for any team that lands him if he gets posted, there's another Japanese pitcher who could be flying under the radar. 

That's right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, who, despite being 35 years old, has done nothing but dominate in Japan throughout his long professional career. 

Sugano is an interesting free agency name because he's 35 years old, and it's tough to predict the type of contract he might land. Jim Bowden of The Athletic doesn't believe there are any contract predictions for him because of that, but he highlighted some of what he does on the bump. 

"Tomoyuki Sugano has gone 136-75 with a 2.45 ERA and 1,596 strikeouts in 12 NPB seasons with the Yomiuri Giants. This year he logged a 1.67 ERA and 0.945 WHIP in 24 starts. He is a two-time winner of the Sawamura Award, which in Japan is equivalent to the Cy Young Award. Sugano has a six-pitch mix and he pounds the strike zone with elite command and control."

As Giants fans should understand from Bowden's words, Sugano would be an excellent addition to the middle of their rotation. 

Unlike Sasaki, it's already confirmed that the veteran will be posted this winter. Leo Morgenstern of MLB Trade Rumors reported that Sugano will visit the United States in December and speak with teams then.

"Today, Sugano met with team representatives, including manager Shinnosuke Abe, at Yomiuri Giants Stadium in Kawasaki. Afterward, Abe told Yahoo! Japan (Japanese language link) that Sugano would be visiting the United States in December. Abe has been with the Giants as a player, a coach, and now the manager throughout Sugano’s entire 12-year tenure with the club."

December could be a bit late in the free agency period for him to have a big market, but that might play in San Francisco's favor. As they showed last offseason, they aren't worried about signing guys late in the winter, as many players will still be available at that point. 

However, if they spend heavily early on, it could prevent them from signing Sugano.

If his price doesn't get too high, that shouldn't matter much.