The Giants are one of the teams considering longtime NPB ace Tomoyuki Sugano, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi writes (via X). The 35-year-old is a full free agent and is expected to sign with a Major League club this winter on the heels of 12 outstanding seasons with the baseball world’s other Giants franchise, the 22-time Japan Series champion Yomiuri Giants.
Signing Sugano would be an intriguing move for the San Francisco version of the Giants in Buster Posey’s first offseason as the club’s president of baseball operations. Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, and Kyle Harrison are assured of rotation jobs, Jordan Hicks will be in the mix if the Giants want to use him as a starter again, and a variety of less-experienced younger arms (i.e. Landen Roupp, Hayden Birdsong, Mason Black, Keaton Winn, and top prospect Carson Whisenhunt) are also vying for rotation.
While Sugano would obviously be a rookie in terms of MLB experience, he does bring more overall seasoning than most of San Francisco’s in-house rotation candidates. If the Giants chose to accommodate Sugano by adopting a six-man rotation to emulate the Japanese standard of pitchers starting once per week, such an arrangement might also help manage the innings of the younger pitchers, though Webb or Ray might prefer a more traditional five-man schedule.
Due mostly to his age, MLBTR projected Sugano for a one-year, $12MM contract this winter, though a two-year pact certainly seems feasible. Such a relatively inexpensive deal might be of particular interest to a Giants team that is reportedly planning to reduce spending after going over the luxury tax threshold in 2024.
RosterResource projects San Francisco’s 2025 payroll at just under $155MM at the moment, with a tax number of $182.28MM. That leaves the Giants still with plenty of spending flexibility before they reach last year’s Opening Day payroll of roughly $208MM, as well as the $241MM luxury tax threshold. Since the Giants have been linked to such hitters as Willy Adames, Ha-Seong Kim, and even Juan Soto this offseason, it could be that Posey is planning to make a bigger splash to address the club’s greater need of hitting, and then spend more modestly on pitching help.
This isn’t the first time that the Giants have been linked to Sugano, as they were one of several Major League clubs interested in his services when the Yomiuri Giants posted him during the 2020-21 offseason. Sugano didn’t end up finding an acceptable contract and ended up re-signing with the Yomiuri Giants on a four-year, $40MM deal that included three opt-out clauses. Sugano chose not to trigger any of those opt-outs and instead finished out the contract’s full four-year term.
Sugano has been one of Japan’s best pitchers of the last decade, posting a 2.43 ERA over 12 seasons and 1857 innings. While not a big strikeout pitcher, he has exceptional control, with only a 4.68% walk rate over his entire NPB career. Sugano’s long list of career plaudits includes two Central League MVP Awards, two Sawamura Awards as NPB’s top pitcher, and eight All-Star nods. Even in his age-34 season, Sugano still excelled in 2024, with a 1.67 ERA over 156 2/3 innings.
35 y old, not many Ks, alot of hr allowed for japan but generally solid #s
Not sure what he can do ,will be interesting
I doubt he gets over 10 mil
Probably like one year 5 mil
Yuki matsui is younger.
But he received 5 yr deal from SD
And he’s a RP
I think sugano could get 2 yrs with 3rd yr tm option
If Posey puts up $12M for a guy likely to be a spot starter and long relief guy, I won’t understand. Nor will other Giant fans.
If he gets $6M, okay worth a shot I suppose.
He’s going to get more sugar than that.
I wonder how much he has left in his tank at 35
Let’s assume he has a great year, to be even considered for the ROTY is stupid and unfair to the true rookies.
@dewey. What’s a true rookie. Please explain. I’m interested.
@dewey
well senga finished finished 2nd in ROY last yr. and he spent 11 seasons in japan…
it might not be fair to compare a 30 year old to a 20 year old but japan league is probly closer to AAA than the major leagues anyway
Dude is a perfect fit for San Francisco. They’re terrible. 35 year old Nippon league without swing & Miss that should help the Giants towards their organization goal of 4th place in the NL West
Look again please john. 1hr every 13 innings is not “alot of hrs”. In his career in Japan 1hr every 13 innings borders on excellent. If he has a low era and low k rate wouldn’t indicate high ground ball/fly ball rate? They’re expecting to have a very good defense. Per BP. So he fits. And he’d be worth 2 years or do you want a Heaney or Quintana or Montas?
@claude
for japan, 1hr every 13ip is nothing special.
roki sasaki has given up 3 total hrs in the last 2 years combined. 1 hr for every 67 ip! and yamamoto gave up 2 hrs in his final season in japan, 1 for every 86 ip!!
no offense, but you’re the 1 who needs to look again
my bad John. I wasn’t aware you were comparing him to sasaki and Yamamoto. BTW Yamamoto is not available and Sasaki likely won’t be. 1 per 13 is excellent matter where you pitch
Claude- throw in the fact that he would be pitching in a forgiving home park on the Bay. An intriguing option indeed. I will say re: a prediction of a $12M contract. You get what you pay for!
Agreed AB. Plus Posey is focusing on D. Chapman, Adames or Kim. Hopefully Holdscmidt. And yes the Oracle Park effect. I’m thinking 2/$22 mil.
Think he’ll get Shota money? Lol
Best case any team is hoping for is probably Hiroki Kuroda with the worst case probably being Kenshin Kawakami
@rsox I think the best comp is kikuchi. Worst case is his numbers before the Astros, best case is his numbers with them. I bet that’s why teams are looking at buehler, Verlander, sugano. Because those mid tier pitchers look like a disaster waiting to happen.
I’m no expert on MLB’s Market value of Japanese Pitchers but I do carry the burden of being a Mariners fan! Haha From what I’ve read on Sugano’s contract prediction I could see him getting a similar annual rate as YK’s $43MM over 3y (w options for a further 4y in SEA.)
However after watching (suffering more like,) nearly every start by Kikuchi, other than Nationality that’s where the similarities between the two Pitchers end. Giants fans should pray they see ‘post SEA Kikuchi.’ – One might look at YK’s first 3 seasons in MLB on Fangraphs/BR/Savant pages and think – he wasn’t that bad. However those stats and peripherals don’t tell the true story of frustration and Bi-Polar like mood swings we endured watching Kikuchi in his first 3 yrs in MLB. I suspect the SEA FO couldn’t even tell you exactly why a young Kikuchi didn’t meet his potential in an M’s uniform. Its not like SEA doesn’t know how to develop young Pitchers.
YK’s raw stiuff is obviously much more explosive than the 35y old Sugano. YK could look like a Cy Young contender in one inning then literally 2 pitches later look like he’d be on the bus down the I-5 to AAA Tacoma. In fact the more I think about Kikuchi’s (mental) problems associated with his age at the time in SEA the more I think these two Pitchers couldn’t be more different!
@ayrbhoy. I was mentioning kikuchi since he’s 33 and a free agent, and saying he shouldn’t be any worse. Sugano has better career numbers, and his bread and butter is his control. 94mph fastball it’s terrible for a 35 yr old. Someone is going to give kikuchi 4 years and regret it. Sugano is probably looking at a two year deal.
Giants are a lock for 4th place again.
Thanks Biff Tannen for the forecast
And yet everyone (not me) said it was Zaidi’s fault, roll eyes
I mean there is no excuse to have that high of a payroll and make that bad of a roster with it
Agnes, why are you down on getting Sugano. And I was with you on the zaidi front. Keep in mind, the story is clickbait. Posey didn’t write it. Not sure you’re dissing on Posey and defending Zaidi here. He’s gone. Let Posey prove things to be right or wrong. He hasn’t had the chance. Again, he wasn’t quoted anywhere in the article.
Hi Claude, my comment was meant for worthington who said the Giants would end up in 4th place, I was only saying if they do, then it’s no longer Zaidi’s fault, the #firefarhan idiots can’t keep blaming him. These types chased him out of town unfairly I thought. And now every analytically minded or progressive person on staff has all left for better jobs on other clubs.
I’ll wait to see what Posey does but so far it’s been only internal hires with no fresh ideas. I’m ok with returning to some old school thoughts but going backwards 30 years won’t work, the game is different now like it or not.
Re: the #firefarhan numpties, it doesn’t matter who is in that role, Posey, C Bloom, B Gomes- there will always be a surprisingly large % of fans who will never be satisfied with the GM.
It never ceases to amaze me how many armchair GM’s and Skippers think they can do a better job than their teams GM despite being vastly under qualified! Those Fans and Armchair Generals have something that GM’s or Skippers can’t use in the moment – the power of hindsight. #neverhappy
There’s no crying in baseball
He would be great on the Dodgers single A team.
He waited too long to come over. His fastball is going to get lit up by MLB hitters.
@fred-3. He throws 94mph with six pitches. Ohtani’s fastball get lit up by mlb hitters. He has a .300 average when he uses it.
@Rexhudler86
Ohtani is cooked as a pitcher. He’ll be full time DH in a few years.
Rangers are looking at him on 3 year deal.
Rangers are looking at giving Jordan Montgomery a long term deal
They would’ve done that last year, buddy
I see the buddy card…
Thanks for being captain obvious, buddy
While I would love a reunion with Snell, this would be a fun alternative. Assuming the Giants see 2025 as a transition year to let some young guys play and establish the new front office, taking a flier on a Japanese veteran makes sense. If he’s great, that’s a trade chip or potential extension candidate. If he flops, it’s not a financial commitment that will saddle the payroll in 2026 and beyond.
@cainer18. He sat out the Japan draft a couple years. so his favorite team the yomuiri giants could select him. Doesn’t seem like he’s motivated by money maybe he wants to play a couple years with the mlb giants.
“I got you an Outfielder. He used to play for the Giants”
“Franklin?”
“Not those Giants”…
Time to give Giants fans something to be excited about – bring on significant FA signing(s) and/or trades
Sugano may offer a veteran presence in the rotation but certainly nothing to get fans excited
Aren’t the Red Sox in on him too Jon Heyman? He must not be a Boras’ client.
Apparently, he failed his last try to the Majors a few years back due to his “lack of enthusiasm”. I doubt he now has what he didn’t then.
@ariana. He could’ve circumvented the posting system, because of his service time. He used it to negotiate a new deal.
His lack of enthusiasm was for the offers he got.
@jean matric. That was his last cy young year. He probably didn’t want to leave. 31 would’ve put him at a imanaga deal. I highly doubt it was because of lack of offers.
I didn’t say he had a lack of offers. I’m sure he did. But, obviously the offers he got from MLB teams weren’t to his liking as much as the offer from Japan. Thus, a lack of enthusiasm for the MLB offers.
Not sure I understand him not wanting to leave then, but wanting to now.
He’s only played in Japan. Try again with more clueless negativity.
Apologies Ariana. I misread your post. I thought you wrote he played mlb but you wrote he wanted to. I guess I’m the clueless one.
The Greg Maddux of Japan
I had him going to the Mets in the contest.
Not a bad call, Yorkie. I said Rays, wouldn’t mind him on my Pads but it will probably be the Giants!
@gwynning. Hacksaw was saying he was talking to the angels a day ago. He might be talking with California teams.
Not if the Japanodgers step in.
Sugano has exceptional control as evidenced by his 0.945 WHIP. I’d love to see SF sign him and, big picture, if he finds success pitching at Oracle Park it may lead to other Japanese players following him to the City.
Agree with you Anachronism. 2/$22 mil. And every year there seems to be another star player coming from Japan.
@claude Raymond. It’s been like that for awhile. most of them weren’t allowed to come into the mlb until the team let them. Sugano was the phenom throwing 98 mph in high school after darvish. Now the younger generation are making sure they can leave whenever, and it’s written in the contracts before they sign with the Japanese teams. Martinez is 34, and signed the 21 million dollar qualifying offer. I’m not sure if teams care about the dollar amount it’s more about the term. It’s probably going to be a high aav, with a opt out.
Vagiants and Athletics should combine their teams and form a new AAA team!
Sign bofem Puster!
Expected that they would be in on low level talent instead of tier talent. But can’t complain that’s how a low tier team does business. Might as well sign Rich Hill
No..that’s how the A’s, Rockies, ChiSox, and Pirates do business..Giants just re-signed Chapman and signed Snell last year (both top teir/2 out of the Boras “big four”) weak comment, try harder if you wanna dog the Giants..
If he signs with the Giants he’s still a giant he doesn’t even need to change uniforms!!!