Former Seattle Mariners Lefty Yusei Kikuchi Reportedly Highly-Coveted in Free Agency

While Kikuchi was often frustrating for Seattle during his tenure, he is being well-regarded on the free agent market.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi (18) walks to the dugout following to the final out of the top of the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at T-Mobile Park in 2021. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Former Seattle Mariners left-hander Yusei Kikuchi is reportedly drawing great interest early on this offseason.

Per Chandler Rome, who covers the Houston Astros:

Regarding Yusei Kikuchi's free agency, Scott Boras said "without having a qualifying offer, you see a whole menu of teams that would not normally be participating for a starter at that level. For that reason, he's one of the most sought-after players in free agency."

Regarding Yusei Kikuchi's free agency, Scott Boras said "without having a qualifying offer, you see a whole menu of teams that would not normally be participating for a starter at that level. For that reason, he's one of the most sought-after players in free agency."

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) November 6, 2024

It's not surprising that Kikuchi has a strong market. First, he made 32 starts last season, showing a level of dependability. He also made 32 in 2023 with the Toronto Blue Jays. Furthermore, after a mid-season trade from Toronto to Houston in 2024, he went 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA. He struck out 206 total batters for the year in 175.2 innings, flashing elite level stuff.

Also, because there's no qualifying offer attached to him, opposing teams would not have to give up a high draft pick to Houston, which is appealing to teams who like to hold onto draft assets.

Kikuchi spent three years with the Mariners after coming over from Japan, going 15-24 in his tenure. One of the more frustrating pitchers in recent M's memory, he failed to be consistent. He made the All-Star Game with Seattle in 2021 but didn't even finish the year in the rotation that season. The Mariners missed the playoffs in the final week of the season.

For what it's worth, MLBTradeRumors just predicted him to land a three-year and $60 million deal this winter.

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