The Orioles signed longtime NPB star Tomoyuki Sugano on a one-year contract on Monday evening. Sugano, a client of VC Sports Group, is reportedly guaranteed $13MM. Baltimore had an opening on the 40-man roster, so no additional moves were necessary.
Sugano is making the jump to Major League Baseball for the first time in what will be his 35th season. He is one of the most successful strikers in Japan. The 6’1″ right-hander spent 12 years with the Yomiuri Giants in his home country. He posted a 2.43 earned run average in over 1800 innings at the NPB level.
Major league scouts have followed Sugano for a long time. He first appeared on many fans’ radars when the Yomiuri Giants made him available through the draft during the 2020-21 offseason. Sugano was coming off a 1.97 ERA in his age 30 season. Although he attracted the attention of big clubs, he did not get the deal that forced him to leave Japan. Instead, Sugano returned to the Giants on a four-year contract that paid him $40MM.
That contract allowed Sugano to opt out after each season, potentially paving the way for him to move to MLB. He was obviously happy with his long-term team and decided not to take any early exits. At the end of the four-year stint, his camp made it clear that he intended to sign with an MLB team this offseason. Sugano had exceeded the nine years of NPB service time required to be eligible for international free agency. Yomiuri will not receive compensation for his departure, and the deal will not cost the Orioles anything other than a player’s salary.f
Despite his age, Sugano is coming off one of his strongest seasons yet. He turned in a 1.67 ERA over 156 2/3 innings that included 24 starts. It’s the second-lowest ERA of his career and earned him NPB’s Central League MVP award for the third time. However, that does not mean that he is still at his peak. Sugano threw just 77 2/3 innings in the 2023 season, reportedly due to an elbow injury. His turnover and miss rates are also down significantly compared to previous years. Sugano has struck out 18.3% of the batters he’s faced this year – off the 24-26% range he posted when he turned 20.
Sugano’s NPB strikeout rate was nearly four percent below the 22% MLB average for starting pitchers. Many NPB hitters take a more contact-oriented approach than is typical in the major leagues, so you’ll probably miss a few more at-bats in the majors. Sugano doesn’t have the same upside that he would have brought a few seasons ago, though. Baseball America’s scouting report notes that his fastball velocity has come in at 92-93 MPH after sitting somewhere between 94-96 MPH early in his career.
While the pure stuff has declined as he’s aged and battled injuries, Sugano has thrived thanks to his pitching feel. That is very evident in his excellent command. Sugano walked just 16 hitters all season, a measly 2.6% lower than any MLB starter has this year (minimum 100 innings). That should go up a bit as he faces more patient hitters, but it’s fine to do Sugano with more or better command.
Baseball America writes that Sugano actually profiles as a fourth or fifth starter who focuses on control. The store offers a five-tone combination titled above the average slider and divider. Fans are encouraged to read BA’s complete column, which also includes updated scouting reports for some of the top NPB and KBO players available on MLB teams (i.e. Roki Sasaki, Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Hyeseong Kim again Koyo Aoyagi).
The contract is subject to MLBTR projections for one year and $12MM. Appreciate Sugano as a starter who can bounce back. Alex Cobb signed a $15MM deal with the Tigers last week. They eat temporary innings Lance Lynn ($11MM) and Kyle Gibson ($13MM) received similar one-year deals with the Cardinals last season.
Sugano is a necessary rotation upgrade for GM Mike Elias and his front office. IO’s should continue to demand higher arms in the coming weeks. Sugano Slots behind Zach Eflin again Grayson Rodriguez in the target rotation. Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers, Albert Suarez and minors Kade Povich again Chayce McDermott There are two storage options to choose from. The rotation remains a big question mark for Baltimore.
Sugano is the third-highest paid player on the roster, trailing only Eflin ($18MM) and the most recent signing. Tyler O’Neill ($16.5MM). Their player salary is up to $134MM, as calculated by RosterResource. It’s unclear how much they’re willing to spend on the first season under David Rubenstein’s ownership group.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the salary. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
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