Orioles sign long-time NPB star Tomoyuki Sugano Signed a one-year deal Monday night. Sugano, a client of VC Sports Group, reportedly received $13MM in guaranteed money. Baltimore has one vacancy on the 40-man roster, so no additional changes are necessary.
Sugano made his MLB debut in his age-35 season. He is one of Japan’s most accomplished pitchers. The 6-foot-1 right-hander spent 12 years with his native Yomiuri Giants. He averaged a 2.43 ERA in over 1,800 innings at the NPB level.
Major league scouts have been tracking Sugano for some time. He first came on many fans’ radars when the Yomiuri Giants made him available through the release system in the 2020-21 offseason. Sugano had a 1.97 ERA in his age-30 season. While he did attract the attention of major league clubs, he didn’t find a deal that forced him to leave Japan. Instead, Sugano returned to the Giants on a four-year deal making $40 per year.
The contract allows Sugano to opt out at the end of each season, which could clear the way for him to move to Major League Baseball. He is clearly happy with his long-term club and has decided not to take part in any early exits. After his four-year term ended, his team made it clear that he intended to sign with an MLB team this offseason. Sugano has exceeded the nine years of NPB service required to qualify as an international free agent. The Yomiuri will not receive any compensation for his departure, nor will the deal cost the Orioles anything other than the player’s salary.
Despite his age, Sugano is having one of his best seasons. He posted a 1.67 ERA in 156 2/3 innings in 24 starts. It was his second-lowest ERA of his career and earned him his third NPB Central League MVP Award. However, that’s not to say he’s still at his absolute peak. Sugano reportedly pitched only 77 2/3 innings in the 2023 season due to an elbow injury. His swing-miss rate has also dropped significantly compared to previous years. Sugano has struck out 18.3% of the batters he has faced this year, well below the 24-26% range he had in his 20s.
Sugano’s NPB strikeout rate is about four percentage points lower than the 22 percent average strikeout rate among MLB starting pitchers. Many NPB hitters take a more contact-oriented approach than is common in the majors, so perhaps he’ll miss more at-bats in the majors. However, Sugano doesn’t have the advantage he had a few seasons ago. Baseball America’s scouting report noted that his fastball velocity, which ranged from 94-96 mph early in his career, has dropped to 92-93 mph.
While the pure stuff has declined as he’s aged and battled injuries, Sugano has thrived with his feel for pitches. This is most evident in his excellent command. Sugano has walked just 16 batters all season, a rate of just 2.6 percent, lower than the walk rate of any MLB starter this year (at least 100 innings). That number should rise slightly as he faces more patient hitters, but it’s fair to expect Sugano to get more or better command.
Baseball America wrote that Sugano is indeed a control-oriented fourth or fifth starter. The outlet praised his five-tone mix, which featured above-average sliders and splitters. Fans are encouraged to read BA’s full column, which also includes the latest scouting reports on other notable NPB and KBO players available to MLB teams (i.e. Riki Saaki, Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Kim Hye Sung and Qingliu Hongyang).
The contract is in line with MLBTR’s projections of one year, $12. It sees Sugano as a capable back-end starter. Alex Cobb Signed with the Tigers last week for $15MM. Late career innings eater Lance Lynn ($11MM) and Kyle Gibson ($13MM) received a similar one-year deal with the Cardinals last offseason.
Sugano is the rotation upgrade that general manager Mike Elias and his front office needed. The O’s should continue to look for higher upside in the coming weeks. Sugano lags behind Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez in projected rotation. Dean Kramer, Trevor Rogers, Albert Suarez and young people Cade Povich and Chase McDermott are the options for the last two positions. The rotation remains Baltimore’s biggest question mark.
Sugano is the third-highest paid player on the roster, trailing only Eflin ($18MM) and newly signed outfielders Tyler O’Neal (16.5 mm). According to calculations by RosterResource, their player salaries are as high as $134MM. It’s unclear how high they’re willing to push spending in their first offseason under the David Rubenstein ownership group.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the salary situation. Photo courtesy of USA TODAY Sports.
