WHAT DO YUSEI ?

Matteo Ruiz

The Toronto Blue Jays agree to a three-year, $36 million deal with free agent SP Yusei Kikuchi.

Initial reactions to the Jays’ acquisition of Yusei Kikuchi were mixed. Though he demonstrated some success in the first half of the 2021 season with the Seattle Mariners en route to his first all-star appearance, Kikuchi’s production took a nosedive in the second half. Can the streaky lefty find some consistency with the Jays, or will his volatility follow him north of the border?

Though some will choose to judge Kikuchi from his recent volatility in Seattle, to understand the true potential of Kikuchi in the MLB, we need to look back at his entire professional career.

At the age of 19, Kikuchi suited up for the Seibu Lions of the Japan Eastern League. At 7 years younger than the average age of his competition, Kikuchi wasn’t expected to have an immediate impact on the ballclub. Despite the non-existent expectations for his success, Kikuchi provided two quality relief appearances allowing no earned runs in his first taste of professional baseball. In his age 22 season, Kikuchi served up an incredible 2.11 ERA – absolutely dominating his competition. A few more seasons of sustained success in Japan got Kikuchi on the radar of virtually every MLB team. In 2018, the Mariners took a shot at the 28-year-old Japanese phenom and signed him to an MLB deal.

Kikuchi’s career with the Mariners left a lot to be desired. Though he was streaky at best, his manager Scott Servais was always his greatest supporter, taking Kikuchi under his wing to help him get accustomed to MLB baseball. After suffering several injuries, Kikuchi never really found his footing in the MLB. The shortened season interrupted spring training during what was supposed to be Kikuchi’s breakout season; his 9 starts left a lot to be desired. Despite his struggles, Servais’ faith never wavered. 2021 would be his true breakout season. While it started strong, earning Kikuchi an All-Star selection, he was borderline unplayable by the end of the year. In a must-win game against Oakland near the end of the 2021 season, Servais made the impossible decision to bench his ace to give his team a chance to win. Kikuchi didn’t pitch another game for the Mariners afterwards.

Shortly after, in a move that baffled MLB fans across the continent, Kikuchi rejected a $13 million player-option from the Mariners. To echo a phrase from another prominent Toronto athlete: he bet on himself. It paid off to the tune of $36 million and the chance to receive a fresh start in a much better situation.

Kikuchi is a natural fit in the Jays rotation. Headlined by Jose Berrios and new acquisition Kevin Gausman, Kikuchi joins the back end of a rotation already loaded with the veteran Hyun-jin Ryu and rookie phenom Alek Manoah. With the help of Pete Walker (the Jays’ resident miracle worker who moonlights as a pitching coach) Kikuchi will have all the support he needs to recapture his first-half success. Though this move likely sends the young fireballer Nate Pearson back to Buffalo for another season and Ross Stripling back to the bullpen, if there’s one position where it pays to have depth in baseball, it’s starting pitching. Don’t expect Kikuchi’s presence to impede on the development of younger arms, as pitching injuries may be even more common than expected given this year’s accelerated spring training.

If the dollars concern you, don’t worry about it. The championship window for this Blue Jays team opens now and management is looking to spend money to keep this club in contention with the best teams in the league. And they’re likely not done yet! With the Kikuchi signing, the Jays have solidified their rotation as one of the best in baseball. Paired with their incredible lineup, the Jays look to have sustainable success for years to come.