Tomoyuki Sugano has signed with the Orioles.
It’s no secret that the San Francisco Giants are pursuing a starting pitcher this offseason after losing Blake Snell in free agency. The Giants are optimistic about their ace (Logan Webb), their veterans (Robbie Ray and Jordan Hicks), and their massive stable of exciting, intriguing, talented, and almost entirely unproven youngsters (Kyle Harrison, Hayden Birdsong, Landen Roupp, Mason Black, Keaton Winn, Tristan Beck, Carson Whisenhunt, Carson Seymour, Carson Ragsdale, etc.). But another high-quality arm feels necessary to ensure that the team doesn’t have to rely too strongly on that third bucket (or the second one, for that matter), and can withstand inevitable injuries.
But the pool of names to choose from is shrinking, almost every day. On Monday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Baltimore Orioles had agreed to a one-year, $13 million deal with righty Tomoyuki Sugano, a 35-year old control pitcher coming to the Majors after a 12-year career in Japan.
The Giants likely don’t care much. They’ve long had their eyes set on a much bigger prize: former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, the pitcher Sugano will try to replace in Maryland. After showing limited interest in Snell and Max Fried, the Giants have been all-in on Burnes, a player with California roots (he grew up in Bakersfield and played collegiately at St. Mary’s), a reported desire to sign with the Giants, and all the traits that Buster Posey has made it clear he values in signing Matt Chapman and Willy Adames to massive contracts.
On a Monday appearance on the Foul Territory podcast, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser offered up some information on where the Giants stand with signing Burnes … a reality that she slapped a 50% chance on. Most notably, Slusser said, “I’ve been told repeatedly it’s in ownership’s hands,” while adding that she believes ownership strongly supports Posey. Burnes’ contract is expected to be, at minimum, eight years and $250 million, and Slusser certainly suggested that if ownership is willing to meet the contract price, that a deal will get done.
Hopefully they are and hopefully it does, because there aren’t as many alternatives as there once were. There are just three starting pitchers on the market who were worth at least 2.0 fWAR last year and didn’t receive a Qualifying Offer (an obstacle that won’t stop the Giants from signing Burnes, but likely will for a lesser player): Jack Flaherty, Andrew Heaney, and Trevor Williams. And with Sugano now off the table, another player who is expected to fit somewhere in that tier of pitchers is no longer available.
The dream remains Burns or Rōki Sasaki (who can’t sign for another month) or, since we’re talking dreams here, both. There are still options if one of those dreams doesn’t become a reality, but those options are dwindling quickly.
How many days until Opening Day?
Exactly 100!