As of Monday, the Yomiuri Giants formally posted Tomoyuki Sugano. According to Jon Morosi, it will be effective as of 8:00 AM on Tuesday, and teams can negotiate with the right-handed pitcher.
Although Sugano is 31 years old, he has been drawing interest from MLB scouts, according to Morosi. Last Monday, he mentioned the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and New York Yankees as potential suitors. Once the posting becomes official, teams will have until January 7th to agree to terms with the pitcher.
BREAKING: RHP Tomoyuki Sugano has been posted by the Yomiuri Giants, effective at 8 a.m. ET Tuesday. Deadline to complete terms of an agreement is 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 7. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 7, 2020
Sugano Resume
Part of the appeal of Tomoyuki Sugano has been his dominance with the Yomiuri Giants. Since 2015, he has five sub-2.15 ERAs, including three sub-2.00 ERAs. His durability is an appealing quality. While NPB teams utilize six-man rotations, Sugano has still illustrated an ability to pitch deep into games, facing lineups multiple times. He averages just under seven innings per appearance.
Although there are mixed results from pitchers that come to from overseas, Sugano has faced MLB batters before with success. He pitched against Team USA in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, and he allowed one unearned run in six innings with six strikeouts and one walk. After facing him, he received praise from Jim Leyland and Andrew McCutchen.
Signing Sugano
Although there is interest in the Japanese pitcher, the economic state of baseball could effect the teams that pursue him. His age and dominance pose a unique blend of curiosity and uncertainty with what he offers on a long-term contract. Additionally, no matter what it takes to sign him, there will be an added premium to him that other free agents will not have.
The current agreement between MLB and NPB call for a posting fee that is structured based on the final contract. Any contract $25,000,000 or less calls for a 20% fee. The agreement calls for an additional 17.5% on totals exceeding $25,000,000 up to $50,000,000. Finally, another 15% is taken for contracts $50,000,001 and higher.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
