*Photo from the Kyodo News*
This continues to be a totally different offseason for the team in Queens. The New York Mets and RHP Kodai Senga have agreed to a 5 year, $75 million deal, according to Andy Martino of SNY. The Mets have confirmed.
Senga signs as an international free agent, so the Mets will not have to pay a posting fee to Japan, as Senga was not posted. The contract for Senga includes a full no trade clause and an opt out following the 2025 season, allowing him the chance to hit the market again after 3 seasons, at which point Senga would be entering his age 33 season.
Last season, Senga suited up for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in Japan's NPB league, the highest in Japan. He ended the season with a career year, recording a 1.89 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, firing 148 innings in 2022 for the Hawks.
Over his NPB career, the soon to be 30 year old Senga has spent 11 seasons in the league, all with the Hawks. He has a career 28 percent strikeout rate and 9 percent walk rate, posting a 2.59 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 1,089 innings pitched in a Hawks uniform.
Senga brings to the Mets a fastball that reaches 101 miles an hour, along with a splitter, cutter, and slider. His fastball and splitter are his most effective at generating swing and miss out of opposing hitters, and they are likely to serve as his two primary pitches in the majors as well. His cutter and slider project to serve as secondary pitches.
The last world baseball classic saw Senga appear against some of MLB's best. In the 2017 WBC Semifinals, he pitched two innings against team USA out of the bullpen. 5 of his 6 outs came via strikeout, with Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Andrew McCutchen, Eric Hosmer, and Buster Posey falling victim to the strikeout. Senga figures to represent Japan again in the 2023 WBC.
The addition of Senga rounds out a Mets rotation that includes Senga, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Jose Quintana, and Carlos Carrasco. David Peterson and Tylor Megill are currently on the outside. The Mets also re-signed Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmo while adding David Robertson.
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