The Los Angeles Angels have signed starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi of Morioka, Japan to a blockbuster deal. The terms of the contract are three years and $36 million according to Rhett Bollinger of mlb.com on Monday.
Angels continue busy offseason
The Los Angeles Angels have been by far the most active organization in the offseason to date. They have also acquired outfielder Jorge Soler of La Habana, Cuba in a trade with the Atlanta Braves, and signed catcher Travis d’Arnaud of Long Beach, California, and shortstop Kevin Newman of Poway, California. D’Arnaud’s contract is two years and worth $12 million, and Newman’s contract is one year and worth $2.75 million.
Yusei Kikuchi joining fourth MLB franchise
Kikuchi is joining his fourth Major League Baseball team. He was previously with the Seattle Mariners for three seasons from 2019 to 2021, the Toronto Blue Jays for three seasons from 2022 to 2024, and the Houston Astros for 10 games in 2024.
Kikuchi in 2024
This past season Kikuchi shared his time with the Blue Jays and Astros. He was considerably better in Houston than Toronto. With the Astros, Kikuchi had a record of five wins and one loss with an earned run average of 2.70. With the Blue Jays, he had a record of four wins and nine losses with an earned run average of 4.75.
Overall, Kikuchi had a record of nine wins and 10 losses with an earned run average of 4.05. In 175 2/3 innings pitched, he gave up 167 hits, 79 earned runs, 25 home runs, and 44 walks, along with 206 strikeouts and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.20.
All-Star with the Mariners
In 2021, Kikuchi was an All-Star in Seattle despite putting up average statistics. He had a record of only seven wins and nine losses with an earned run average of 4.41. You could make the argument that Kikuchi was a much more effective pitcher two years later in Toronto. In 2023, he had a record of 11 wins and six losses with an earned run average of 3.86, but was not an All-Star.
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