As is commonplace with almost every Japanese player making the transition from Nippon Professional Baseball to the Major Leagues, the Mariners have been connected to the latest pitcher making the cross-pacific move. Yusei Kikuchi was posted earlier this month by his Japanese club, the Saitama Seibu Lions, and reports out of the Winter Meetings this week have linked him with a number of teams including the Mariners. As TJ Cotterill reported yesterday, the Mariners interest in Kikuchi isn’t just a formality, Jerry Dipoto is seriously pursuing the Japanese lefty.
On the surface, signing Kikuchi this offseason might not seem like a fit for the Mariners who are clearly restructuring rebuilding reimagining remixing reshuffling.