Tomoyuki Sugano, who had been on the radar of both the Mets and Yankees off-season, reached a four-year $ 40 million deal to return to the Yomiuri Giants, a Japanese baseball team. according to The Athletic.
As previously reported, the deal includes three opt-outs meaning the right-handed can re-enter the MLB-free agent market in the next off-season. The one-year salary at the Yomiuri Giants is expected to be around $ 8 million, according to the website.
Sugano, 31, went 14-2 with a 1.97 ERA, an 0.89 WHIP and 131 strikeouts in 137 innings in 2020. In eight seasons with the Giants, Sugano has seeded a 101-50 with a 2.34 ERA, and twice has the Sawamura Award as the best pitcher in Nippon Professional Baseball.
Joel Sherman of the Post confirmed a few days ago that the Mets were no longer hunting Sugano. He was also associated with the Giants, Blue Jays, and Red Sox.
Faced with many questions about their starting rotation, the Yankees have had mixed results with Japanese pitchers for the past two decades. A free agent, Masahiro Tanaka has been most successful for the Yankees, and Hiroki Kuroda had a solid stint in The Bronx. But Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa were expensive busts.