A bevy of teams are poised to inquire on SP Yusei Kikuchi as his team prepares to post him (Japanese source), and the Mariners could be among the most interested parties. Roster needs and long-standing ties to Japan make him an obvious target, but certain things must be considered to assess how well he fits in Seattle.
First off, Yusei Kikuchi is clearly a talented pitcher.
This past year he logged a 3.08 ERA and 1.033 WHIP with a 23.4% K% and 6.9% BB% over 163.2 IP.
For his career (8 seasons), he has a 2.