The Nationals have made left handed pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara their first ever signing directly from Asia. The Nationals signed him to a two-year deal. For years, I have been frustrated with the teams seeming lack of interest in the Japanese market, but today they finally made a splash.
While the 27 year old may not be a Roki Sasaki level talent, he is a big league caliber arm. He is a former NPB all-star, and posted a 3.12 ERA in 144.1 innings last season. The early expectation is that Ogasawara will serve as a long man out of the bullpen.