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MLB: These three teams should aggressively pursue Tomoyuki Sugano

By Nick Stevens

TOKYO, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 21: Tomoyuki Sugano #11 of Japan pitches in the top half of fifth inning during the WBSC Premier 12 third place play off match between Japan and Mexico at the Tokyo Dome on November 21, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN - NOVEMBER 21: Tomoyuki Sugano #11 of Japan pitches in the top half of fifth inning during the WBSC Premier 12 third place play off match between Japan and Mexico at the Tokyo Dome on November 21, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images) /
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Tomoyuki Sugano
(Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images) /

These three teams should be aggressive in their pursuits for Tomoyuki Sugano.

Beginning December 8th at 8 am ET, Major League Baseball teams will have 30 days to negotiate a contract with Japan’s top veteran pitcher and the newest high-profile name to join the market, Tomoyuki Sugano.

The 31-year-old right-handed pitcher has a long track record of success both in Japan and on the international scene, is a two-time Sawamura Award winner (Cy Young equivalent), and is coming off another fantastic season in the NPB, his eighth season of professional baseball.

In 20 starts for the Yomiuri Giants, Sugano went 14-2 with a 1.97 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and struck out just under 9/9 IP while issuing 25 walks across 137.1 innings.

With his elite command and long history of success, Sugano is expected to have plenty of suitors over the next 30 days, but with a posting fee attached to the decent contract he is sure to command, a bigger market, playoff-ready team seems like the most likely landing spot for the veteran pitcher who many believe is the second-best pitcher available on the market behind Trevor Bauer.

Now that the negotiating window is open, these three teams should be the most aggressive when it comes to signing Tomoyuki Sugano.

New York Yankees

As it currently stands, the Yankees have Gerrit Cole and a bunch of question marks in their starting rotation, with Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, and J.A. Happ all now gone and very few high-quality options available on the free agent market.

Sugano’s repertoire isn’t anything that major league hitters haven’t seen before, but his command and history of keeping runners off the basepaths is impressive and has helped carry him through eight seasons of success in Japan.

Evaluators believe Sugano is a quality mid-rotation arm on an MLB roster, meaning New York would still need to bring in another arm who can slot in behind Cole, whether that’s re-signing Tanaka or landing a Lance Lynn or other top available arm on the trade market, but the Yankees have not only the financial resources to bring in Sugano, but also have a history of Japanese stars coming to play in the Bronx and finding success.

He wouldn’t completely solve New York’s rotation issues, but Sugan would be a huge boost to a team looking up at the Tampa Bay Rays.

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