San Francisco Giants Could Be Strong Contender for Japanese Legend in Free Agency

The San Francisco Giants could be a team in the running for the second biggest prize from Japan this offseason.

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The San Francisco Giants may be looking for some creative ways to improve their ball club entering the first offseason of the Buster Posey era.

Understandably, every team in baseball is going to be after Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki as the 23-year-old has been posted and is set to receive what will likely be a massive long-term deal after being posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines. But there's another superstar from the NPB the Giants could throw their hat in the ring for.

Even though he just turned 35, Tomoyuki Sugano is still one of the most elite international arms 12 years into his Japanese career. Due to his age, he is classified as an international free agent and not subject to the same negotiation rules as younger players like Sasaki and Shohei Ohtani.

This will be Sugano's second try at signing with a major league ball club after he was posted in the offseason of 2020-21 by the Yomiuri Giants, but could not reach a deal with a team before the deadline. This time around, he will not have the same deadline due to his new status. The Athletic named San Francisco to be a team who would be a great fit for the veteran, inspiring hope that the team could make a real push.

Sugano is coming off the best season of his career with a 1.67 ERA over 24 starts and is one of the most decorated arms in the history of the NPB. He's won two Sawamura Awards (Cy Young equivalent), two Central League MVP awards in 2014 and 2020, made eight All-Star appearances, and won four league ERA titles.

While his accolades might imply the possibility of a nine-figure contract such as Yoshinobu Yamamoto received last winter and Sasaki is expected to receive, Sugano's age makes him a much more affordable possibility for the Giants.

Of course, he won't come for nothing either, but Sugano's expected final contract is expected to be in the 1-2 year range likely for less than $20 million per year.

With the ceiling he has displayed, signing Sugano to a contract of roughly this caliber should be an absolute no-brainer. Seeing the market that eventually develops for the Japanese legend will be fascinating to see, but San Francisco certainly needs to be involved.