Tomoyuki Sugano, who was on the Mets and Yankees’ radar this off-season, struck a $ 40 million deal for four years to return Yomiuri Giants, a Japanese baseball team, according to Atlético.
As previously reported, the deal includes three opt-outs, which means that the right-handed can enter the MLB free agent market again in the next off-season. A year’s salary with the Yomiuri Giants is expected to be around $ 8 million, according to the website.
Sugano, 31, was 14-2 with an ERA of 1.97, a WHIP of 0.89 and 131 eliminations in 137 entries in 2020. In eight seasons with the Giants, Sugano posted a 101-50 mark with an ERA of 2.34, and twice won the Sawamura Award for best professional baseball pitcher from Nippon.
Joel Sherman of the Post confirmed a few days ago that the Mets were no longer on the hunt for Sugano. He had also been associated with the Giants, Blue Jays and Red Sox.
The Yankees, who face many doubts about their starting rotation, have had mixed results with Japanese pitchers over the past two decades. Masahiro Tanaka, a free agent, has been the most successful of the Yankees, and Hiroki Kuroda has had a solid season in the Bronx. But Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa were expensive busts.