Report: Orioles sign Japanese righty Sugano to one-year deal
Published
Free agent right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano and the Baltimore Orioles are in agreement on a one-year, $13 million contract, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The team announced they had agreed to a deal Monday night but did not reveal terms.
Sugano was the No. 24-ranked player on TSN's Top 75 MLB Free Agents list released earlier this off-season. TSN Blue Jays Reporter Scott Mitchell noted in the feature that Sugano is a command-driven arm and profiles as a back-end MLB starter.
The 35-year-old was one of the best pitchers in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league last season, going 15-3 with a 1.67 ERA in 24 starts for the Tokyo-based Yomiuri Giants. He also had 111 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 156.2 innings pitched, earning his third Central Division MVP award as well as his eighth All-Star nod. He had a 3.24 ERA in 16 outings the previous season.
A veteran of 12 NPB seasons, Sugano owns a 136-74 record with a career 2.43 ERA in 276 appearances.