Baseball is not just a young man’s game in Baltimore.
The Orioles have won the Tomoyuki Sugano sweepstakes, agreeing to terms with the 35-year-old stalwart from Japan who possesses six sturdy pitches and 12 years of zone-pounding, swing-and-miss-inducing expertise.
Sugano’s contract with the Orioles is for one-year and worth $13 million, ESPN reported Monday.
The righty pitcher had spent his entire career with the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization to date.
The news of his signing with the Orioles on Monday comes about two months after it was first reported that he would become an international free agent.
Sugano, a two-time winner of the Sawamura Award — the NPB’s equivalent of the Cy Young Award —possesses an unrivaled versatility.
The starter boasts a four-seam fastball, which clocks in at around 92 mph on average, and a two-seamer. His off-speed arsenal includes a cutter, slider, splitter and curveball.
Across his 12 seasons with the Giants, Sugano has compiled a record of 136-74 and a 2.43 ERA.
Defying the aging trends, Sugano posted one of his best seasons yet in 2024. His 1.67 ERA was the second-lowest mark he’d ever pitched to and he set new career lows in earned runs and home runs allowed. Across 156 2/3 innings, he struck out 111 while walking only 16.
Sugano joins a Baltimore pitching staff that combined to a 3.94 ERA last season, which ranked 14th among major league teams.
The Orioles reached the playoffs for the second consecutive season, in no small part due to the strength of their starting rotation. The 3.77 ERA among starters was tied with the Chicago Cubs for the fifth lowest in the league.
Starting pitching is a strength, but ahead of 2025, the Orioles stand in serious risk of losing their top arm: ace starter Corbin Burnes.
Teams in top pursuit of the 30-year old former Cy Young winner include the Giants and Blue Jays, The Post’s Jon Heyman reports.
Whether the Orioles are willing to shell out the salary required to retain Burnes’ services remains to be seen.