Former Yankees’ Target Tomoyuki Sugano Set to Leave Japan for MLB

The New York Yankees were linked to Tomoyuki Sugano in 2020. Could they show interest again this winter?

Mar 21, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Japan starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano (11) pitches against the United States during the first inning of the 2017 World Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images / Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images

After spending 12 seasons pitching in Nippon Professional Baseball, a former New York Yankees target is giving MLB free agency another try.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Friday that right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano will enter Major League Baseball as an international free agent this winter. He is considered the most successful Japanese pitcher of his generation who has spent his entire career in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Sugano, who turns 35 in a week, has posted a 1.67 ERA and 0.95 WHIP over 24 starts for the Central League champion Yomiuri Giants this season. He is a two-time winner of the Sawamura Award—the equivalent of the Cy Young—two-time Central League MVP, and four-time ERA champion.

Four years ago, the Giants posted Sugano, and he was expected to sign with a big league team after being linked to the Yankees, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox. However, he never reached an agreement before the posting deadline expired and returned to Tokyo on a four-year, $40 million deal.

Unlike posted players, international free agents have no restrictions on signing. Players in NPB earn the right to international free agency after nine seasons, allowing Sugano more time to test the free-agent waters in MLB this time around.

Sugano utilizes a six-pitch mix, averaging 92 mph with his four-seam fastball while also relying on a two-seamer. He throws an 82 mph slider and an 87 mph cutter about 20% of the time, with a splitter at 86 mph and a curveball at 77. Over 156.2 innings this season, Sugano has walked only 16 batters and allowed just six home runs—in a league with a home run rate that is half of MLB's—while striking out 111.

The Yankees have had mixed results signing pitchers from Japan over the past two decades. Masahiro Tanaka was a success, going 78-46 with a 3.74 ERA over seven seasons, achieving two All-Star nods and impressive postseason numbers. Hiroki Kuroda, who began his major league career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, also had a solid run in New York. In contrast, Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa did not provide value that matched their contracts in the late 1990s and 2000s.

Last offseason, New York heavily scouted and pursued Japanese star right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who ultimately signed a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers. It remains unclear whether the Yankees will pursue Sugano again, as they already have several starting pitching options under control for 2025, including Gerrit Cole (unless he opts out), Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes Jr., and Marcus Stroman.