*Photo from Lookout Landing*
The Toronto Blue Jays already had a pretty good rotation before the lockout, and now it's even better. The Blue Jays and LHP Yusei Kikuchi have agreed to a 3 year, $36 million deal, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. The Blue Jays have confirmed the deal.
At the start of the offseason, Kikuchi declined his $13 million player option with the Seattle Mariners, hitting the open market. With his new deal, he will make $16 million in 2022, followed by $10 million in 2023 and 2024. Kikuchi signed with the Mariners out of the NPB in Japan, where he played for the Seibu Lions.
Last season, Kikuchi made the AL all star team for the first time in his career, thanks to a 3.18 ERA in his first 15 starts of the season. His 6.22 ERA in the second half bloated his overall statistics. He finished the year with a 7-9 record with a 4.41 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, throwing 157 innings across 29 starts for the Mariners.
In his 3 major league seasons, Kikuchi has a career 15-24 record with a 4.97 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, striking out 326 hitters over 365 2/3 innings, good for a 8.0 strikeouts per 9 innings, totaling 70 starts for the Mariners, with one complete game shutout in the mix.
Entering his age 31 season, the biggest question is if Kikuchi can recapture some of the form he displayed in the first half of 2021, leading him to the all star game in the first place. The advanced metrics aren't on his side, as opposing hitters had a 47 percent hard hit rate and 11 percent barrel rate, putting him in the bottom 10 percent of qualified pitchers.
Entering 2022, the Blue Jays rotation has a deadly top 5 pitchers. Kikuchi, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, and Alek Manoah make the top 5. If any of them stumble, top prospect Nate Pearson and veteran swingman Ross Stripling are in the mix for a starting job in spring training.
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