With Roki Sasaki confirming MLB move, LA Angels reportedly in pursuit of another Japanese ace
It's been a relatively quiet offseason so far, that is unless you're the LA Angels and their fans. After a disappointing 2024 campaign, the team's front office has wasted little time in revamping its roster as they look to improve on their 63-99 record.
After already making several notable moves, the Angels are reportedly looking to add a significant veteran pitcher to their rotation. According to MLB insider Jon Morosi on Tuesday, they have expressed interest in landing Japanese pitching star Tomoyuki Sugano, who is looking to make the jump to the MLB.
The 35-year-old pitcher has cemented himself as one of the best pitchers outside of the MLB. While Roki Sasaki is making most of the headlines thanks to his age and accomplishments, Sugano has enjoyed an excellent career in Nippon Professional Baseball, winning the Central League MVP twice, as well as the Sawamura Award twice.
The Sawamura Award is awarded to the top pitcher in the NPB, similar to the Cy Young Award. It may sound familiar to some MLB fans since LA Dodgers rookie phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto won it three times before making the jump to the majors. While Sugano is nearly 10 years older than Yamamoto, his skill set should translate at the MLB level.
Tomoyuki Sugano was a stud last season with the Yomiuri Giants, posting a 1.67 ERA with 111 strikeouts over 156.2 innings. While those numbers should get LA Angels fans excited, the fact that he only issued 16 walks last season is impressive.
Signing Tomoyuki Sugano would be the latest impact move by the LA Angels this offseason
It's been a heck of an offseason already for the Angels. Despite their struggles last season, there is reason to at least be cautiously excited heading into 2025. Even if you're not a fan of their additions, the front office is not sitting around and waiting for players to fall to them.
If they can sign Tomoyuki Sugano, he would be the latest player added to the new-look Angels squad. So far this offseason via trade, waivers or free agency, they have brought in Kyle Hendricks, Jorge Soler, Ryan Noda, Scott Kingery, Travis d'Arnaud and Kevin Newman.
It's also worth mentioning that to acquire Jorge Soler, the Angels shipped Griffin Canning to the Atlanta Braves, so there would be a clear opening in the pitching rotation for Sugano. The already exciting offseason for the Angels could take it to another level soon.