The Baltimore Orioles have signed veteran pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano out of Japan, the team announced Monday. According to ESPN, it's a one-year, $13 million contract for the 35-year-old right-hander.
Sugano, 35, is making the leap to the U.S. major leagues after 12 seasons in NPB, Japan's top professional circuit. Over those 12 seasons, he's pitched to a 2.45 ERA with a K/BB ratio of 4.53. He's coming off a standout 2024 season for the Yomiuri Giants in which he pitched to a 1.67 ERA with 111 strikeouts and 16 unintentional walks in 156 2/3 innings.
Earlier in the offseason, CBS Sports highlighted Sugano as one of the most notable non-Roki Sasaki international players who might come to MLB in time for the 2025 season. Here's part of R.J. Anderson's write-up:
You may recall Sugano's name from a few years ago, when he attempted to come to MLB only to return to NPB after failing to reach an agreement before the 2021 season. He's set to again attempt the leap -- this time as a 35-year-old with nearly 300 professional appearances to his name.
Sugano had a highly accomplished career in Japan, making eight All-Star Games and winning a pair of MVP and Eiji Sawamura Awards. (The Sawamura is essentially NPB's version of the Cy Young Award.) He has a broad arsenal, including a low-90s fastball and a splitter, that plays up thanks to his above-average command. Sugano struck out only 6.4 batters per nine this past season, however, limiting his ceiling.
The Orioles, who have made the postseason in each of the last two years but have failed to advance past the opening round, still profile as contenders. However, they face the likely loss of ace Corbin Burnes, who's on the free-agent market and may be priced beyond what the Orioles are willing to spend.
While Sugano doesn't profile as a stateside ace thanks to his lack of swing and miss, he does give the Orioles additional depth and potential value by the standards of mid-rotation to back-end starters.
