Rosenthal: Tomoyuki Sugano Deal Likely in “Next Day or Two”

Many fans are anxiously waiting for big names on the market like Trevor Bauer and George Springer to make a decision on their future teams, but the next player likely to come off the board is Yomiuri Giants starter Tomoyuki Sugano, who must finalize a deal by January 7th at 5 PM EST.

Sugano, 31, arrived stateside on Friday to meet with his agent and sort through final offers with his agent, according to a report by Sports Hochi.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network confirmed the report and added that the three main teams still engaged with Sugano’s camp are the Mets, Blue Jays, and Giants.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweeted this afternoon that the two-time Sawamura Award winner (NPB’s Cy Young award) should select his new team in the “next day or two,” and that Sugano also hasn’t ruled out a return to Japan with his old team, the Yomiuri Giants.

Yomiuri, who don’t traditionally post their players, have offered Sugano a four-year deal with three opt-outs included, according to Rosenthal. This could allow Sugano to re-enter the market each of the next three years when more big league teams will likely have healthier finances, but it would be a surprise to see Sugano return to Japan since he is 31-years-old and MLB clubs are already offering more money than Yomiuri.

There is an argument to be made that Sugano is the second best starter on the market after Trevor Bauer, and it would be wise for the Mets to add another legitimate mid-rotation arm after bringing back Marcus Stroman on the qualifying offer.