San Francisco Giants Linked to Another Japanese Starter in MLB Free Agency

The right-hander wouldn't be like Roki Sasaki, but he'd be an interesting piece to the San Francisco Giants rotation.

San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the bench / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

If the San Francisco Giants lose Blake Snell, there's a chance they'll look to improve their rotation with another pitcher. They likely won't find the same caliber of arm as Snell, but there will be options.

The one scenario where they could look for a cheap price would be if they signed Roki Sasaki.

After rumors suggested he'll be posted this winter, it was officially confirmed that he will officially be posted by his club this winter, making this an exciting time for Major League Baseball fans as they'll be able to watch one of the best arms in the world toe the rubber on the biggest stage.

But other options from Japan will be available outside of Sasaki, too, and a real option for this club is Tomoyuki Sugano.

He isn't the same type of pitcher as the young right-handed Sasaki, but he would still be an excellent addition to the Giants' rotation.

Factor in that he'd be much cheaper than Snell, adding him wouldn't be the worst idea. His age is a bit concerning, since he's already 35 years old, but he's thrown the baseball at an elite level during his international career. 

Tim Britton of The Athletic likes San Francisco as a potential suitor, naming them as such for Sugano, who he predicted would land a one-year, $11 million deal. 

"A Nippon Professional Baseball right-hander, Sugano was originally posted after the 2020 season, but he didn’t land a contract and re-signed with the Yomiuri Giants. Entering his age-35 season, Sugano is once again testing the MLB market, coming off his best year since 2020. His ERA was 70 percent better than league average in Japan’s Central League, though over the two seasons prior, he was statistically a league-average arm. That track record aligns him with other NPB-turned-MLB starters like Kaz Ishii and Masato Yoshii — so a serviceable starter, but not a front-line pitcher."

$11 million for a starter who's done what he's done throughout his career would be a positive signing. If it didn't work out, the Giants wouldn't have made too much of a financial commitment for it to be that big of an issue.

Sure, that money could be spent elsewhere, but that isn't enough to determine an offseason or ruin a different signing in most scenarios.

His stuff is decent, but his strikeout ability has slowed down recently likely due to his age.

Still, at his best, he could be a serviceable No. 3 option in San Francisco's rotation.

There would be some risk in landing him, but the same could be said for most players on the market.