Tomoyuki Sugano is headed to the major leagues at last.
The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a $13 million, one-year contract with the star Japanese right-hander Monday night. Sugano is coming off an MVP season — his third — in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Central League. The 35-year-old spent 12 years with the Yomiuri Giants.
Sugano went 15-3 with a 1.67 ERA last season, walking only 16 batters in 156 2/3 innings. He added another MVP award after winning in 2014 and 2020.
Sugano pitched for Japan at the 2017 World Baseball Classic and allowed three hits in six innings in the semifinal against the United States.
The Orioles have some pitching questions after making the postseason each of the past two seasons.
Grayson Rodriguez missed time down the stretch because of a lat injury.
If Burnes doesn’t come back, Rodriguez, Zach Eflin and Dean Kremer figure to be in the rotation, but it remains to be seen how much adding the Orioles do the rest of this offseason.
Sugano represents another option with some potential upside on a low-risk deal — although he can’t be assigned to the minor leagues without his consent.
Burnes is the top available starter and likely will land a deal over $200 million after Max Fried got $218 million from the New York Yankees.
It doesn’t seem like Baltimore is going to meet that asking price but that doesn’t mean it won’t add another star.
The Orioles reportedly have shown interest in San Diego Padres star Dylan Cease, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.
The Orioles are among the teams interested in trading for Padres (right-handed pitcher) Dylan Cease,” Morosi said. “As Baltimore’s hopes of retaining Corbin Burnes continue to fade, trading for Cease is a legitimate option.”
Cease is estimated to make just $13 million in 2025 in his final year before hitting free agency. He had a 3.47 ERA in 2024 as a member of the Padres across a league-leading 33 starts made.
He’s just 28 years old and could have a similar impact as Burnes did in 2024.
Keep an eye on Baltimore as the trade market starts to heat up as free agents fly off the market.
