Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Could Target Japanese Star Koudai Senga To Bolster Ailing Rotation

Senga can opt out of his current deal and head overseas in free agency

Scott Neville

Red Sox Could Target Japanese Star Koudai Senga To Bolster Ailing Rotation
Red Sox Could Target Japanese Star Koudai Senga To Bolster Ailing Rotation /
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Should the Boston Red Sox expand their search beyond Major League Baseball as they aim to bolster a pitching staff in need of reinforcements?

As per usual, there is expected to be a top free-agent target via the Nippon Professional Baseball League.

Koudai Senga, who appears to go by Kodai but is listed as the former on all official rosters, is expected to make the jump to MLB after a fantastic season for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. 

With four games left on the regular-season schedule, Senga holds an 11-6 record, 1.94 ERA, 156-to-49 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a .200 batting average against in 144 innings across 22 games.

Senga's fastball reached 101.9 mph earlier this year, and sits in the mid-to-high 90s. Some call his devastating secondary pitch a splitter while others have coined the term "ghost fork" for its ridiculous drop-off and forkball grip. 

The fastball/splitter combo makes Senga lethal, but he also can mix in a slider and cutter. Those pitches are not nearly as effective as his elite 1-2 punch but still serviceable. 

The 29-year-old reportedly has wanted to join the MLB ranks for a while, but his team has an anti-posting policy. Fortunately, Senga has an opt-out of his contract this season and is expected to exercise it and then head overseas.

The Boston Red Sox desperately need pitching after finishing 2022 with a 4.49 ERA from their starting staff, No. 22 in MLB. They'll also lose Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill via free agency and there is a very real possibility none of the trio return. 

It's always difficult to predict international free-agent contracts but Senga could be a fantastic option to take a shot on if he turns out to be fairly affordable. The hard-throwing right-hander will gain plenty of buzz this winter and it would not be shocking if Boston was squarely in the mix for his services.

More MLB: Red Sox DFA Hard-Throwing Reliever; Add Crafty Pitcher From AL East Rival

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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