According to multiple reports, Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi has agreed to a four-year contract with the Mariners. The Seibu Lions posted Kikuchi last month and his 30-day negotiating period was due to close at 5pm ET tomorrow. There’s no word on the money yet. My guess is the contract falls in the $60M neighborhood. We’ll see.
Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto has ripped apart his roster this offseason, including trading James Paxton the Yankees. On the surface signing Kikuchi may not make much sense, but he is only 27, and he could be part of the team’s next contending core.