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MLBTR Poll: Who Will Sign Tomoyuki Sugano?

By Mark Polishuk | January 3, 2021 at 11:40am CDT

Tomoyuki Sugano arrived in the United States two days ago, according to The Hochi News (Japanese language link), as the right-hander and his agent Joel Wolfe plan for the final few days of Sugano’s 30-day posting window.  January 7 is the final day of that posting period, and with at least six MLB teams known to have interest in Sugano’s services, the odds seem to be in favor of Sugano pitching in the big leagues in 2021.

A move to North America is not guaranteed, however.  As noted in that Hochi News item, Sugano said earlier this month that he hadn’t yet fully decided on whether or not to make the jump to Major League Baseball, with the COVID-19 pandemic weighing as a factor in his decision.  As we just saw yesterday with outfielder Haruki Nishikawa, it isn’t uncommon for Japanese players to reach the end of their 30-day posting period without having reached a deal with any MLB teams.

Beyond that uncertainty, it’s also possible that Sugano’s market has been somewhat reduced in number.  Of the six teams linked to Sugano in rumors, two have made other significant pitching additions that may have removed them from the running.  The Rangers already made one foray into the Japanese pitching market by signing Kohei Arihara to a two-year, $6.2MM contract.  The Padres, of course, dominated headlines by swinging a pair of blockbuster trades for Yu Darvish and Blake Snell, and now headlines a rotation mix that also includes Dinelson Lamet, Chris Paddack, Adrian Morejon, Joey Lucchesi, and several impressive younger arms.

This isn’t to say that Texas or San Diego wouldn’t still have interest in Sugano, of course.  Even with Arihara’s signing, the Rangers could still conceivably add to their rotation considering that Kyle Gibson, Jordan Lyles, and Kolby Allard all struggled in 2020.  As for the Padres, they’re so clearly in win-now mode that they might see Sugano as another key piece for what they hope is a World Series contender.  Adding another starting candidate serves as a further guard should Lamet have an injury setback, and it could allow the Padres to potentially float one of their younger arms as a trade chip in another trade.

The Red Sox also made a recent pitching addition in Matt Andriese, but while Andriese will be given a crack at a starting job, he might end up as a reliever or perhaps a swingman.  Boston has enough questions in its rotation that signing Sugano would make sense even if Andriese did end up as a starter.  Likewise, the Giants have retained Kevin Gausman via the qualifying offer and signed Anthony DeSclafani since the start of the offseason, but San Francisco’s pitching staff would certainly still use further reinforcement.

The Blue Jays and Mets have respectively been linked to almost every free agent this offseason, so it isn’t surprising that they’re both in on Sugano.  Whether Sugano would be either team’s final major pitching addition is the question, as a case could be made that both Toronto and New York have enough arms on hand, or that another notable hurler (perhaps even Trevor Bauer) is required to really turn either rotation into a big plus.

With these options in mind, it’s time to open the floor to the MLBTR readership.  Where do you think Sugano will pitch in 2021? (poll link for app users)

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Boston Red Sox MLBTR Polls New York Mets Nippon Professional Baseball San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays Mystery Team Tomoyuki Sugano

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View Comments (115)

Comments

  1. clrrogers

    2 years ago

    Sign him, Blue Jays!!

    Reply
    • Al Hirschen

      2 years ago

      Mets

      Reply
      • Fever Pitch Guy

        2 years ago

        Red Sox for many reasons. 1, they have a desperate need in starting pitching as nobody knows what will happen with Sale or ERod and Evo is always a health concern. 2, they have the money available because they reset last year. 3, they don’t have the prospects to trade for a good starting pitcher. 4, They have a long history of star Japanese players who will all give Boston a strong endorsement

        Reply
  2. Cap & Crunch

    2 years ago

    I’ll go SF

    There gonna start juicing the books for 22 and beyond soon. Makes sense to get a strong multi yr deal in here now and beat the traffic to next year when purses should be more open –

    If they can structure like Sea did w kikuchi and get all those team options all the better. This has Z written all over it

    Reply
    • Jal179

      2 years ago

      I went SF as well.

      This guy reminds me of a Tanaka clone. The deliberate Japanese pitching windup is so distinct looking.

      Reply
    • Ma4170

      2 years ago

      As a met fan, I’m afraid you’re right… strong vibe he’s going to SF

      Reply
    • tward09

      2 years ago

      I agree. SF could definitely use him, and even if they get him they’re still going to do their thing and get some rebound candidates

      Reply
  3. iggystrummer

    2 years ago

    Curious to not see the Angels listed as a suitor.

    Reply
    • tom brunanskys black sock

      2 years ago

      They are. Field is option.

      Reply
      • 5toolMVP

        2 years ago

        Giants or Angels (mystery team) is my guess.

        Reply
        • 5toolMVP

          2 years ago

          NYY also could be in the mix.

    • larry48

      2 years ago

      Angel wants pitchers but won’t spend money maybe next year, angels are 3-4 away.

      Reply
      • lowtalker1

        2 years ago

        They won’t be in it until after trout retires

        Reply
    • chalk73

      2 years ago

      Come on Perry!

      Reply
  4. tom brunanskys black sock

    2 years ago

    My vote is on the Ninja Blacksox. They need that final piece of the puzzle to finally dispatch the Lovely Ladies.

    Reply
    • Balrog Vega

      2 years ago

      SNK Crushers are going to be all over this guy.

      Reply
    • lolzmets

      2 years ago

      That is so funny and cute. You are so clever! Ok can you stop posting now?

      Reply
      • tom brunanskys black sock

        2 years ago

        Obviously you’re not a golfer.

        Reply
  5. Jal179

    2 years ago

    Geographically and needs wise, I went with the Giants even though I’m a Jays fan.

    I have no idea what type of contract he’ll get. 3 years/18 million?

    Reply
    • Jal179

      2 years ago

      I’m probably low at 18/3….

      Reply
      • Ma4170

        2 years ago

        5/40?

        Reply
        • Jal179

          2 years ago

          Maybe 4/32. 8 million AAV feels about right…

        • seanmc1983

          2 years ago

          I’d say 3/24 – 8 AAV feels right, but 4 years for a 31yo unproven import feels a tad long.

        • Jal179

          2 years ago

          I was thinking he was 29. Agree, at 31 wouldn’t go past 3 years on term. Maybe even 2…

  6. bravesfan

    2 years ago

    Unpopular opinion, even amongst Braves fans… I think Allard is gonna have a great career and will be Cliff Lee 2.0 … there, I said it. Idc what stats or junk you throw at me… it’s happening

    Reply
    • Rangers29

      2 years ago

      Allard = Bad

      Stats 101 lol

      Reply
      • Rangers29

        2 years ago

        Let’s just say that I think he has a good shot as a LR arm. He needs to hone in his stuff more regularly if he wants to be a good starter.

        Reply
    • DarkSide830

      2 years ago

      yeah i think its still a bit early to give up on Allard

      Reply
      • Garmo87

        2 years ago

        Send Allard, Odor, Seis and Jordan Lyles to Boston for Sale. Sign Saguno to 3 year deal.

        Reply
  7. DarkSide830

    2 years ago

    i dont know how anyone currently could make a confident bet on what his market looks like. like is anyone willing to put down more then a few dollars on any specific team?

    Reply
    • Oddvark

      2 years ago

      Good thing voting here didn’t cost a dime!

      Reply
  8. geg42

    2 years ago

    Giants won’t sign him. Marketing tie ins aside, they play in the Group of Death. And clearly not the killers.

    Reply
    • dpsmith22

      2 years ago

      We have seen many players take money over career success chance.

      Reply
      • CNichols

        2 years ago

        I could be wrong but I interpreted this as him saying that SF isn’t going to pay to sign Sugano because they know its going to be very difficult to compete with LA and SD in 2021/2022.

        SF doesn’t look like they’re tearing it all down for a full rebuild though, so I don’t really know if I buy that. I could see them making some moderate incremental improvements to try to hang around the division even if on paper it doesn’t look good for them.

        Reply
        • dpsmith22

          2 years ago

          and his chance for career success facing the best lineups.

  9. MasterShake

    2 years ago

    I’ll guess Mets here, Padres would have been my pick but they seem better set on pitching than the mess that is the Mets.

    Reply
    • Jal179

      2 years ago

      I’ll say Giants, then the AL East teams (Jays and Bosox)

      Reply
    • larry48

      2 years ago

      Why do I get the feeling the Mets take a lot but are not signing anybody from the top tier?

      Reply
  10. VonPurpleHayes

    2 years ago

    I’m playing the field just because a mystery team would be more exciting. Gut tells me Mets will overpay here. Better to overpay Sugano than Bauer IMO.

    Reply
    • Ma4170

      2 years ago

      Totally agree

      Reply
    • rct

      2 years ago

      As a Mets fan, I fully agree with all of this.

      Reply
  11. Rangers29

    2 years ago

    SF or Boston.

    I really, really want Texas to sign Sugano too, but I just doubt it happens now. JD and CY sound like they want to plug in the 5th spot with some combination of young guys (though conceivably, those young guys should be taking over Lyles’ spit instead).

    Reply
  12. mlb1225

    2 years ago

    I think the Blue Jays should, but I feel the Mets will go the extra mile to get him.

    Reply
    • Rangers29

      2 years ago

      Idk why, but the Blue Jays just don’t feel right to me. I still think Giants or Sox…

      I wanted to ask for your opinion on something I thought about yesterday btw. So, the DFA either allows for release, outright, or trade, but here’s what I was thinking. What if from the day that a player got DFA’d, any international league could put bids down on that player without competing with MLB teams for the player? So say Tyler White gets DFA’d, he then gets offers from international leagues for the week that he is DFA’d. He can either accept a contract with one of those teams, or the team can outright, release, or trade him.

      I just thought that it would be another good step in making MLB even more international. Your thoughts?

      (BTW, the contract White had with his former MLB team would be dropped if he signed internationally.)

      Reply
      • mlb1225

        2 years ago

        I feel it should be more complicated than that. Idk how they do it in foregin leagues, but then should MLB teams be allowed to bid on DFA’d players in foreign leagues? Still, I feel if they can find an offer overseas, they would just refuse a minor league assignment, get released and then sign in Japan, Korea, etc.

        Reply
        • Rangers29

          2 years ago

          My thought behind it was that the international teams would have no competition by MLB clubs to try and sway the thoughts of the player.

          Though I don’t think I agree that if an international player was DFA’d, that MLB teams should have the first “dibs”. The reason being is that those leagues are, for one, cheaper, so giving them the first picks for our DFA’s are more fair because you have a lot of low budget teams competing with each other, not with multi-billion dollar MLB franchises. For two, if a player gets DFA’d in an international league, then they probably couldn’t stand a chance in AAA, much less in MLB.

  13. MasterCal

    2 years ago

    Idk why everyone thinks the Mets need SP… deGrom, Thor, Stroman, Peterson is better than most teams in the league. I know Thor won’t be back for a couple months into the year but what are you gonna do, put Matz in the pen?

    Reply
    • VonPurpleHayes

      2 years ago

      Thor has been declining steadily and is a health risk. Stroman has had ups and downs. Tough to judge Peterson on one shortened season (players have plenty of tape to study now). deGrom is the best pitcher in baseball. After that it’s a lot of question marks. Not necessarily bad starters at all, but I wouldn’t call any of them a sure thing outside of deGrom.

      Reply
    • Burn0820

      2 years ago

      Thor is out till June. They don’t have a 3 or 4 starter. They could slot in Lugo till Thor is ready or maybe Matz but still need another pitcher regardless

      Reply
    • Cap & Crunch

      2 years ago

      The Mets need 1 impact arm and 1 guy to soak up 115 inns at a 4.8 era imo

      Only 1 impact arm left on the market

      I wouldnt rule out a trade despite the clamor from NY. Theres been a whole lotta meetings inbetween those comments from basically a whole new front office

      I think they line up with Cincy and Cle well right now via trade if they are willing to go Bold

      Lugos best value is being a 4-6 out guy – At this point in the contract you just embrace that imo not call an audible – Pens got sneaky nasty high upside in its favor atm

      Reply
    • Hantoneenee

      2 years ago

      @MasterCat

      I’m a Met Fan and I’m not certainly comfortable with going into this year with what they have after DeGrom.at SP.

      Noah gives them half a season. Don’t know how he’s going to pitch after TJ surgery and what innings limit he may have.
      Stroman opted out last year. So it’s been over a year since he’s pitched.
      Peterson is coming off a rookie season in which he started 10 games and pitched 49-50 innings..
      Matz was really bad.
      Lugo was moved to the rotation and stretched out late.
      Not to mention that the Mets have to anticipate injuries to the rotation.

      Also, after a 60 game season were many pitchers pitched limited innings, teams will have to increase the workload from 2020 to 2021 for their SP’s

      IMO they need 2 proven innings eaters with a track record over multiple seasons of pitching better than average. Not an easy task. I think Sugano would help.

      Reply
    • rct

      2 years ago

      Thor – missed 2020 with injury, out til June

      Stroman – missed 2020

      Peterson – completely unproven

      5th starter -???

      They need two starters.

      Reply
  14. WereAllJustGuestsHere

    2 years ago

    His full windup delivery is fascinating. If he has any success in the MLB he might become a fan favorite, and definitely a fan favorite in Toronto if the Blue Jays land him. Kids will imitate his style.

    Reply
    • Jal179

      2 years ago

      Is it just me or does every Japanese hitter look like Ichiro in the box and every pitcher look like Tanaka on the mound with the slow, drop and drive delivery?

      I’m not convinced these Nippon aces are worth the cost uncertainty… pass of I’m the Jays.

      Reply
      • WereAllJustGuestsHere

        2 years ago

        Watched video on Sugano. I’d pass on him too. He’s between Tanaka and Yamaguchi but closer to Yamaguchi. I’d pass too.

        Bases Loaded the Nintendo game really does depict the hitting style in Japan very well.

        Reply
  15. RunDMC

    2 years ago

    I’ll go Mets, because they’ll hope for Bauer and get Sugano.
    New year, same Mess.

    Reply
  16. king beas

    2 years ago

    Mets winning the poll I guess it means they’re going to sign him

    Reply
    • jaysfansince1977

      2 years ago

      King, the Blue Jays came in third on last years poll about Ryu and yet they signed him.

      Reply
      • VonPurpleHayes

        2 years ago

        @jaysfansince1977 Do you think playing in an alternate site has any impact on FA signings? Things are tough enough during the pandemic, I wonder if temporarily playing in Buffalo creates more uncertainty, especially for players coming from another country. Interested in your opinion. I fully expect the Jays to land at least 1 key FA, but I’m wondering if they’re at a disadvantage out of the gate.

        Reply
        • jaysfansince1977

          2 years ago

          Why would it impact the player signing, he still gets paid no matter where he plays. Ryu did not seem to be impacted by playing in Buffalo, and i never heard of a single Jay beyond Shaw complain and that was about the Jays summer camp lockdown

        • WereAllJustGuestsHere

          2 years ago

          Von I’ll tackle it from a different viewpoint.

          Buffalo’s Sahlen Field was extremely kind to hitters. Jays as a team hit .823 OPS with a .276 Avg and 43 homeruns in 26 games. Although some would say Buffalo’s a tough place to hit in April and early May, the summer months saw balls fly out of that park. Jays hit .721 on the road despite strong offensive showings in Fenway, Camden and Yankee Stadium. Hitters looking for advantages and big numbers should consider Toronto with their young core and hitter friendly parks in the division.

          Pitchers in Buffalo have to take full advantage of the cold weeks in April. AL East is a tough place to pitch and has been for years. However, a guy like Bauer could become a legend beating the Yanks, Red Sox and Rays rather than joining the Yanks or Red Sox. The David v. Goliath effect, and the Jays are still David in the AL East.

        • VonPurpleHayes

          2 years ago

          @jaysfansince1977 I just mean in terms of temporary living arrangements, family…etc. Some players are looking for stability. There’s not a lot of that with a pandemic going on, but even less with a team playing outside of their home city/country. I don’t think it’s a huge factor (how often are players home anyway?), but I expect it to be a factor nonetheless. I’m not just talking about Sugano here. Perhaps Springer, Bauer, Realmuto…etc.

        • VonPurpleHayes

          2 years ago

          @WereAllJustGuests good points all around.

        • jimmertee

          2 years ago

          My bet is this guy is not going to do very well in MLB, hard pass.

        • VonPurpleHayes

          2 years ago

          I don’t know. His stuff is nasty. I see him as a solid #3.

  17. Get rid of the softball players

    2 years ago

    My guess giants

    Reply
  18. angelsfan4life

    2 years ago

    Angels

    Reply
    • tom brunanskys black sock

      2 years ago

      Seems like an unbiased opinion.

      Reply
      • seth3120

        2 years ago

        I’d honestly guess Angels on a number of arms. Not sure if Angels are interested but they have the need

        Reply
        • angelsfan4life

          2 years ago

          @Tom the Angels aren’t going to over pay for a second tier starting pitcher. Don’t have of trade pieces in the farm system. So getting him, may be their best option to add a starter pitcher.

  19. CNichols

    2 years ago

    I wonder if his window closing on Jan 7th is complicating things for some teams who are waiting to see what happens with Bauer.

    Maybe thats part of why Toronto was meeting with Bauer recently. Might be trying to see if they really have a shot at Bauer or if they should go for Sugano instead?

    Reply
  20. padam

    2 years ago

    I’m thinking Angels. Bauer is in Toronto, Springer in NY. I’m thinking the Mets sign two hoping for one (Paxton for example ) with the possibility of exploring a trade since they’d have some players they could move that are cheap (Smith, Davis, Nimmo).

    Reply
  21. angt222

    2 years ago

    Bauer will be too rich for the Mets’ blood and Tanaka probably prefers to return to the Bronx, so I think Mets secure Sugano and trade for another SP.

    Reply
    • larry48

      2 years ago

      I believe the Mets will not sign any of the big names this year.

      Reply
  22. Diggydugler

    2 years ago

    Not the Blue Jays, they are just in for the clicks.

    Reply
  23. ohyeadam

    2 years ago

    Twins need another quality starter option and had a good chunk of money come off the books. I like sugano more than odor and would cost less per year than his QO last season.

    Reply
  24. DTDATL

    2 years ago

    I think he signs with Toronto thanks to Ryu

    Reply
    • jaysfansince1977

      2 years ago

      Not sure why Ryu would impact his signing, Ryu is Korean and Sugano is Japanese, Yamaguchi may impact his decision more

      Reply
      • tom brunanskys black sock

        2 years ago

        They’re all the same to some of these pea-brained
        folks.

        Reply
        • Rangers29

          2 years ago

          Now, Ryu could’ve influenced Kim, but people have to remember that…. ALL ASIANS ARE NOT THE SAME! Jesus…

        • WereAllJustGuestsHere

          2 years ago

          Monty Brunansky in the triggered phase of his day, No snappy movie line? Aw shucks.

          JaysFan1977 was not being racist or mean spirited in his comment. You’re looking for trouble again.

        • WereAllJustGuestsHere

          2 years ago

          It looks like you proved me right. Lazy is googling a movie quote and passing it off as clever. You cry and whine over petty crap when you aren’t being lazy doing searches. But anyway, I suggest not to call people out if you’re looking to be a jokester or incorrectly imply someone is a racist. Nobody really finds that hilarious except you.

        • DTDATL

          2 years ago

          Tom, or maybe I made a mistake and thought Ryu was Japanese you jerk. You are the most worthless poster on here and I can’t wait til you get banned.

        • DTDATL

          2 years ago

          Rangers, you ever made a mistake Mr Perfect?

        • Oddvark

          2 years ago

          The best way to acknowledge your mistakes is to call people jerks. Good job.

        • DTDATL

          2 years ago

          Well, when you’re being a jerk, you’re gonna get called one. If you don’t like it then don’t be a jerk. He simply could’ve said that he’s Korean, not Japanese but no, he had to be a jerk. If you’d pay attention then you’d say I didn’t call out Jaysfan because he wasn’t a jerk.

        • WereAllJustGuestsHere

          2 years ago

          Sorry DTD I thought the jerk was calling out JaysFan but it was you. Again, he is a D-Bag 100% of the time and you did not have bad intentions with your comment.

          Besides, it’s not out of the question for Ryu to be part of the process to sign players from overseas.

        • jaysfansince1977

          2 years ago

          What happened here? I guess i should have expanded my original reply to include that Sugano and Yamaguchi had been teammates hence his influence being a bit more likely than that of Ryu.

        • WereAllJustGuestsHere

          2 years ago

          Sorry JaysFan. I was pointing out Tom B’s quick-on-the-draw race baiting crap and thought he was talking to you. Either way your post was on the spot.

          Said in another post here that I watched video of Sugano. Kids will love imitating his style but I’m not certain he can be good in the MLB. I’d still rather overpay Bauer.

        • DTDATL

          2 years ago

          You’re good Jaysfan, no issue at all with your post as you were informative and respectful. It’s the other 2 jerks that were the issue.

  25. frijolhead

    2 years ago

    I’ll sign him

    Reply
  26. Rbase

    2 years ago

    Did I miss somewhere that the mariners are not interested in him?

    They seem like a good fit; they need pitching, have money and are a pretty popular destination for Japanese players since they are close to Japan and they had great success stories with Ichiro and Iwakuma.

    Reply
  27. kevinthecomic

    2 years ago

    In what universe does Toronto “have enough arms on hand”? Their current likely rotation is as follows: Ryu, Ray, Pearson, Roark, Stripling, aka Ace, Dumpster Fire, Hope, Vomit, Prayer.

    Reply
    • WereAllJustGuestsHere

      2 years ago

      They were careful not to put the word quality between enough and arms.

      Reply
    • DarkSide830

      2 years ago

      options tends to lead to better value. they also have guys like Kay, Hatch, Merryweather, SRF, Zeuch, etc on hand as options

      Reply
      • Ramon ParraGarcia

        2 years ago

        Kay and Zeuch SUCK. Plain ans simple. If they are used as options, this season is in the sh##ter

        Reply
  28. Ramon ParraGarcia

    2 years ago

    Gee, let me guess. Uhhh….I think he’ll sign in California or New York. ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz

    Reply
  29. larry48

    2 years ago

    Why do I get the feeling the Mets take a lot but are not signing anybody from the top tier? I guess Texas for the large park and family people.

    Reply
    • tmcca

      2 years ago

      Mets should go after Bradley and/or Brentley and sign DJ plus hendricks the closer. If they do that they can compete.

      Reply
  30. AaronSapoznik

    2 years ago

    I voted for Tomoyuki Sugano to sign with San Diego due to geography, comfort level, a better chance at reaching the World Series and because the Padres are on a roll this offseason. My vote came down to the Padres and Rangers because of the comfort level of Sugano pitching in a rotation with fellow Japanese countrymen Yu Darvish or Kohei Arihara. San Diego wins the geography battle as a West Coast team closer to Japan along with southern California having a much higher population of Japanese Americans. The Padres are also on quite the roll this winter and a far more competitive team than the Rangers.

    For the life of me I can’t understand why the Angels wouldn’t have more reported interest in Sugano as a West Coast team with a star Japanese player in Shohei Ohtani, one that is in desperate need for more starting pitching. That’s OK because I have the Angels landing top free agent TOR Trevor Bauer in this years FA contest with Sugano nowhere to be seen on the list as a late posting entry.

    Reply
    • Brewer88

      2 years ago

      The Padres have 4 SPs who are proven stars (I’m including Clevenger in 2022). They have a number of young pitchers on the verge of breaking through and joining those 4 stars (Paddack, Gore, Morejon, Weathers, maybe Baez).. Adding another SP (such as Bauer or Sugan0) who would suppress those younger guys just when one, two or three of them are ML ready would be highly idiotic. Yes they’ve been active in adding Darvish and Snell, but I think they are set now. Let the competition for 5th starter begin. Paddack will be looking over his shoulder.

      Reply
  31. RickEO

    2 years ago

    Red Sox. Japanese absolutely love Boston

    Reply
  32. travis1991

    2 years ago

    Indians. Cleveland love Japanese players

    Reply
    • Gwynning

      2 years ago

      Excluding any Hollywood sequels, I believe the next Japanese player in Cleveland will be the first one… no?

      Reply
  33. tmcca

    2 years ago

    I think it will be Red Sox. Arihara the Sox aggressively pursued and took Rangers instead. No way they let Sugano go anywhere but to Boston. Mets need a ton more than Sugano to compete just saying.

    Reply
  34. zrjc14

    2 years ago

    Other – Yankees (who will then resign Tanaka.

    Reply
  35. Jal179

    2 years ago

    I really like the Mariners as a dark horse team. Geography, need, aggressive GM. That’s a fun team with Dipoto.

    Reply
    • SwingtheFNbat

      2 years ago

      The M’s are a fun team? Hahaha! You’re funny!

      Reply
  36. Thigmus 2

    2 years ago

    Yanks should sign Sugano. They can afford him and DJLM. Instead….even if they get DJLM. I feel like at least one of the Angels/Mets/Jays/Giants will make a 3/50 offer to Tanaka if they miss out on Bauer or Sugano or whoever their preferred guy is. Then the Yanks will cheap it out and end up with Cole Hamels’ Corpse or something.

    Reply
    • VonPurpleHayes

      2 years ago

      #HamelsLives

      Reply
  37. Oddvark

    2 years ago

    I wish the White Sox would be in on him. They appear to have a solid front 3 for their lineup, but spots 4-5 have question marks. And Lynn is only under contract for 2021, so a 3-year deal with Sugano would provide rotation certainty for a couple more seasons, too.

    I love the Sox’s Cuban Connection, but the team needs to expand its horizons. And I think the last time they had a Japanese national on the team, they won the World Series with Tadahito Iguchi in 2005.

    Reply
  38. VegasSDfan

    2 years ago

    Padres. They seem the most motivated to win now.

    Reply
    • VonPurpleHayes

      2 years ago

      That would be something else. I don’t see it, but 3 big-name pitchers in 1 offseason would be insane. I know Sugano hasn’t pitched in the MLB yet, but he’s one of the biggest names in Japan.

      Reply
  39. wrek305

    2 years ago

    Are the cubs not interested? Could they be a dark horse? Replace Yu with Tomoyuki. They need pitching.

    Reply
  40. TheTexasBlueJay

    2 years ago

    I think Sugano will sign with the Jays, in their case, he has the opportunity to reunite with his former teammate in Yamaguchi which could potentially impact his decision, and if he does well in the MLB as he did in the Nippon, he could potentially be a fan favorite with not only the Jays but to the MLB as well. So I’m all in on the Jays signing him this week. One things for sure, he will get paid a lot more in the MLB if he signs there.

    Reply

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