Being aggressive in the free agency indeed pays off, and the Los Angeles Dodgers saw that well when they brought in former Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani into their squad – and it led to a World Series finish for the first time since 2020. Now the Angels are doing the same, and this time, they have landed lefty Yusei Kikuchi into a three-year deal.

While club has not yet confirmed that Kikuchi will be indeed playing for the Angels, there are sources that claim that Kikuchi is now set to play for three years with the team. Reports also claim that Kikuchi is slated to be an ace for the club considering that they had a 99-loss run in the 2024 season, which proved to be a tough break for the team.

The addition of a Japanese star clearly mirrors the intent that the team had when they brought in Ohtani back then. However, Kikuchi is already in his 30s, which just means that there is still a lot less to expect from his game – but nevertheless will still be hyped as the new face of the Angels after Ohtani moved on from the team.

A New Star in the Making

At the age of 33, Kikuchi is coming off an impressive stretch in his career after transitioning from a midseason trade at the hands of the Houston Astros. Beginning his pro career back in the NPB for eight seasons, the Japanese star spent three Major League campaigns with the Seattle mariners before he opted to deal with the Toronto Blue Jays for a $36 million, three-year deal ahead of the 2022 season. Between Seattle and Toronto, he pitched to a 4.72 ERA with a 1.38 WHIP.

Riding with the trend among all previous Astros trade acquisitions, Kikuchi went on to improve his game at a drastic pace. He would go on to make to starts down the stretch for the team, and he even posted a 2.70 ERA to go with a 0.93 WHIP and 76 strikeouts in just 60 innings. One of the biggest changes that made him more efficient was the reliance on his slider, and that saw him throw at least 38.9% of his sliders compared to 36.6% four-seam fastballs.

The Angels have been blessed to land Kikuchi at this point, who is expected to take a bigger role with the team and improve their chances of winning now more than ever. It has been quite some time since the Angels enjoyed a winning campaign, and fans should know better to look out for Japanese talents in their roster – much like Ohtani.

A Busy Offseason

Los Angeles has been the busiest team in the offseason so far. It can be remembered that the team has already made a move to trade for Jorge Soler (slugger) and signed Travis d’Arnaud (catcher). They have also acquired the likes of utilityman Kevin Newman and Hendricks to bolster their depth and also infielder Scott Kingery and claimed infielder/outfielder Ryan Noda on waivers.

So far, landing Kikuchi is considered to be the biggest win for the Angels in the offseason, and it also marks their first Japanese player to be affiliated with the team ever since Shohei Ohtani moved on from the club.

Kukuchi also represents the club’s first Japanese player since the departure of Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers last offseason. The Angels still retain a large Japanese fanbase because of Ohtani’s six years with the club.