Kikuchi

2022 - 3 - 11

Andrew Vasquez - Yusei Kikuchi

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Jays Journal"

Blue Jays made the wrong decision signing Yusei Kikuchi (Jays Journal)

The Toronto Blue Jays made a big splash before the lockout, signing Kevin Gausman to help lead their rotation alongside the newly extended Jose Berrios.

He was in the first percentile in average exit velocity according to Baseball Savant. He was also in the third percentile in hard-hit percentage and the eighth percentile in barrel percentage. The Blue Jays have high-end starters in Berrios and Gausman and potentially Manoah too. In the second half, he went 1-5 with a 5.98 ERA. He went from an All-Star to be borderline unusable. However, he walks too many (3.6 BB/9) and allows too many home runs (1.5 HR/9). I can only reasonably think these numbers get worse in the American League East. At his best, he can be an all-star. But is he worth a three-year guarantee? The Blue Jays made the decision to look elsewhere to round out their rotation, as they signed left-hander Yusei Kikuchi to a three-year $36 million dollar deal. He went 6-4 with a 3.48 ERA in the first half and seemed to be finally living up to what Seattle was hoping for when they signed him. He is 15-24 with a 4.97 ERA in his first three big-league seasons. This season alone he had five outings of at least seven innings pitched with one run or fewer allowed. He then pitched to a 4.46 ERA this past season, which included an All-Star appearance with the Mariners. He went from posting an ERA of 5.46 his rookie year to 5.17 in 2020.

Blue Jays make first major post-lockout move by signing Yusei Kikuchi (Sportsnet.ca)

The Toronto Blue Jays and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi reached agreement on a $36-million, three-year deal, an industry source said Saturday, ...

That’s now for the Blue Jays to help him sort through, the way they did for AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray and Matz last year. Opponents last year batted just .176 and slugged .282 against a splitter that produced a 39.6 whiff rate. “And that was our vote.” None of it was certain to happen, as the unions 30 player-reps and eight subcommittee members debated the final proposal from Major League Baseball for some 2½ hours. We can just go be competitors on the baseball field instead of on Zoom calls.” The large group of Blue Jays players who live in and around the Dunedin area reported to the Player Development Complex the next morning, while those scattered elsewhere hurriedly made arrangements for their arrival.

Opinion | Yusei Kikuchi rounds out the best Blue Jays rotation in a ... (Toronto Star)

A highly sought-after pitcher, he wound up signing a three-year, $43-million contract with the Seattle Mariners. The Jays got him for less than that because he ...

That might have had something to do with the 95-m.p.h. ground ball the Angels’ David Fletcher hammered off Kikuchi’s knee in a game in early June, though he didn’t miss any time and still pitched well for a month after that. They still need to fix the infield, since they got close to zero production out of third base last year. A durable fifth starter with the potential to be much, much better. They hit just .249 as a group with a paltry .692 OPS and only 10 home runs. The revolving door at that position included Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal, Jake Lamb, Kevin Smith and Breyvic Valera among others. That .645 OPS against skyrocketed to .906, and his ERA took a beating from 3.48 to 5.98. And he shows up for work. Right now, it appears as though the Jays will rotate through the DH spot with a combination of Alejandro Kirk and whichever outfielder isn’t playing the field that day, but they could stand to get a lot stronger in that spot — and could use another left-handed bat in the lineup. Biggio and Espinal are likely to share second base, and the Jays are still in position to try to reel in a big fish such as Cleveland’s José Ramírez or Arizona’s Ketel Marte to fill the hot corner. Kikuchi wound up losing his job in the rotation down the stretch — as the Mariners joined the Jays in trying to chase down the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees for a wild-card spot — after making it past the third inning only once in four September starts. Kikuchi came to the major leagues after eight years in Japan with the Seibu Lions. A highly sought-after pitcher, he wound up signing a three-year, $43-million contract with the Seattle Mariners. The Jays got him for less than that because he hasn’t quite lived up to the hype, posting a 4.97 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over three seasons in the Pacific Northwest. The 30-year-old made the American League all-star team last season on the strength of a first half in which he held opposing hitters to a woeful .205/.276/.370 mark, but he got mauled after the break.

Left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi signs three-year deal with Blue Jays (Bluebird Banter)

The Toronto Blue Jays have solidified their starting rotation by signing free agent Yusei Kikuchi to a three-year, $36-million contract, according to MLB ...

The team also had an option to lock him up for $66 million through 2025. $10 million in 2024 March 12, 2022 The southpaw was an All Star in 2021 after enjoying a very good first half of the season.

Report: Blue Jays Sign Starter Yusei Kikuchi (Sports Illustrated)

The Blue Jays have signed lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi to a three-year deal, per Jon Heyman.

With Kikuchi joining the Jays, other rotation options like Ross Stripling and Nate Pearson likely file into bullpen or depth roles. Kikuchi owns a career 4.97 ERA in three seasons in Major League Baseball but struggled with hard contact in 2021. Kikuchi earned his first career All-Star appearance last year after posting a mid-threes ERA before the All-Star break.

Blue Jays reach three-year agreement with Kikuchi (TSN)

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports the deal is front-loaded, with $16 million due in 2022 and $10 million in 2023 and 2024.

The 30-year-old spent the last three seasons with the Mariners, pitching to a 4.41 ERA in 157.0 innings spread out over 29 starts. The Toronto Blue Jays have made another big off-season splash. TSN Blue Jays Reporter Scott Mitchell has confirmed the Jays are in agreement with left-hander Yusei Kikuchi on a three-year, $36 million deal.