Right-hander Kodai Senga signed a new five-year contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, according to The Kyodo News and other outlets. Full salary details aren’t known, though Senga will receive $5.3MM in 2022.
Most pertinently for North American fans, the contract also contains an opt-out clause following the 2022 NPB season that would allow Senga to leave the Hawks for a potential deal with a Major League team. The opt-out clause is contingent on Senga banking enough service time in 2022 to officially qualify as a full free agent outside of the NPB/MLB posting system, which probably shouldn’t be considered a lock given that Senga missed quite a bit of the 2021 season recovering from an ankle injury.
However, Senga’s strong finish to the year should help answer any doubts about his health. The righty posted a 2.66 ERA over 84 2/3 innings for the Hawks, along with a 26.47% strikeout rate and 7.94% walk rate. If that wasn’t enough, Senga also helped Japan’s Olympic baseball team capture the gold medal at this past summer’s Tokyo Games.
Senga has made no secret of his desire to eventually test himself in MLB, and as he told reporters, “my thinking on that has not wavered” even after signing this multi-year pact with the Fukuoka team. “As a ballplayer, it’s essential to live my life always aiming higher….(Next year) I want to blow past all the numbers I’ve managed up to this point,” Senga said.
His biggest obstacle to a jump to North America has been, simply, the Hawks’ refusal to let him test the market. The Hawks have a team policy against posting any of their players to North American teams, and thus Senga has had to wait to become eligible. While it seems quite likely that he will indeed become a free agent next winter, the five-year contract does allow Senga some flexibility, as a number of factors could end up changing his mind. Injuries or a dip in form might convince him to stay with Fukuoka — or, in terms of bigger-picture issues, the state of the pandemic or what the next MLB collective bargaining agreement may look like will certainly play into Senga’s eventual decision.
Senga has been one of Japan’s better pitchers for the better part of a decade, first working as a star reliever out of the Hawks’ bullpen and then becoming a regular starter in 2016. Senga has a 2.69 ERA and 28.33% strikeout rate over 945 career NPB innings, making three All-Star teams and twice leading the Pacific League in strikeouts. If he stays healthy and keeps pitching this well in 2022, Senga (who turns 30 in January 2023) should have no trouble attracting a noteworthy multi-year contract from Major League teams next offseason.
Less than 1000 innings on his arm already. Most likely hits and passes that mark this season, but I feel that’s going to be one of the lower innings total an NPB starter has collected before coming over to MLB
Kikuchi had like 1100 in Japan. Arihara had less than 900. It’s pretty average. The thing is Pre-professional innings. Young pitchers in Asia get tons of innings on their arm before going pro.
Is he a starter? I thought he might be a highly used closer. The article says he didn’t even pitch 85 innings last season. A lot for a reliever but much less than half of some starters.
article also says it was because of an injury.
There is a chance he could end up being used as a high end RP. He comes over as a SP and injuries and contract length will dictate his future role.
I have never heard of this player, so he must not be that good
A top 5 pitcher in the NPB. He is likely the next high upside arm to come over. Yamamoto is another really good arm to follow in 2024.
I do wish they would give a little scouting report with these foreign players most of us haven’t heard of. how hard does he throw, what pitches are in his arsenal, etc
He hit 100mph this year and normally hits 96-97. Def a hard thrower
The Japanese Roger Clemens.
He sits 95-96 (tops at 100) on his four seamer with a filthy forkball, also throws a cutter and a slider.
Is this the guy that pitching ninja loves to show with the ghost fork?
here’s another guy the Phillies should keep an eye on but wolnt for some reason
This guy looks like a long-relief or possible closer. He hasn’t really taken on a starter’s workload.
SoftBank is a hedge fund, not a baseball team. They don’t need additional advertising.
Corporations own baseball teams in Japan. Their official name is Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Blue Jays & Nationals are also corporate owned but we don’t call them the Toronto Rogers Communications Blue Jays or the Washington Lerner Enterprises Nationals.
Do corporations own them or is it a sponsorship attached to the team name?