After finishing third in the American League and coming up short in the playoffs after a 90-win season, the Baltimore Orioles are shoring up its pitching lane with the addition of Tomoyuki Sugano. It is a rare move considering that the Orioles came up with a push from the international market instead of seeking talents in the free agency market.

The Orioles lost in the Wild Card to the Kansas City Royals, which proved to be a tough break for the team after they had a season where they came up with 90+ wins after finishing with 101 last year. So far, it has been quite a promising set of campaigns for Baltimore, but it does seem that they still need to make a few tweaks if they are going to ensure that they will have the best chance to clinch the World Series.

For now, adding Sugano to the pitching order does seem a good solution, and it may well be a promising move that will actually improve their odds of winning it all. Bringing in a crafty pitcher may well be a big help for the team, and this could turn out to be a winning piece in the long run should they get the best results now more than ever.

What Does Sugano Bring to the Table?

So why did the Orioles bother to go all over the international market just to bring in Sugano? Well, the 35-year-old spent 12 years with the Yomiuri Giants in the Nippon Professional Baseball, which is arguably the league’s most storied franchise. And the cherry on top? He’s a two-time winner of the Sawamura Award – which is the same to the MLB’s Cy Young and also a three-time Central League MVP and an eight-time All-Star.

In the 2024 season alone, Sugano was named the Central League MVP after coming up with 1.67 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 156 2/3 innings over 24 starts. He owns a career 2.45 ERA in 281 games in Japan, but what sets him apart is his unique throwing options. Sugano threw a cutter (20% usage), slider (20%), splitter (17%), sinker (9%) and curveball (8%) in addition to his four-seamer (26%) this past season, which offers the Orioles a wide array of options to consider.

A Need for a Pitcher

Bringing in Sugano addresses not just a need for a swashbuckling pitcher – but the likely ending of the offseason where Baltimore would not be able to bring back Corbin Burnes, who was the team’s ace in 2024. As of the time of writing, Burnes is still a free agent, and he is even expected to land a bigger deal with another club this offseason – most likely a contract worth over $200 million that is good for six to seven years.

The Orioles are still working on offering a deal for their star, but it does seem that they are still required to spend big bucks if they want to bring back the right-hander. It is worth noting that this is also the first offseason under David Rubenstein – and they have already spent a total of $71 million on three players, outfielder Tyler O’Neill (three years, $49.5 million), catcher Gary Sánchez (one year, $8.5 million) and Sugano (one year, $13 million).

At this point, it is expected that the Orioles’ pitching rotation would go along with the likes of Zach Eflin, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer, Sugano, and Cade Povich. However, it is worth noting that the team also has some reserves in the waiting line, such as Albert Suarez, Chayce McDermott, Brandon Young, and Trevor Rodgers.