The Los Angeles Angels and free-agent pitcher Yusei Kikuchi agreed to a three-year, $63 million contract. The 33-year-old Kikuchi will recieve $21 million annually during the contract, which raises his MLB earnings to $142 million over nine seasons.
The lefty spent his first three seasons with the Seattle Mariners, and over his first 166 career appearances he went 41-47 with a 4.57 ERA, and was an All-Star with Seattle in 2021. He signed with Toronto in March 2022, agreeing to a $36 million, three-year contract at the time. The six-year veteran split last season with the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros — the Blue Jays traded the six-year veteran to the Astros in July — and over 32 appearances last season, Kikuchi went 9-10 with a 4.05 ERA. His four-seam fastball averaged 95.5 mph this year, the highest of his big league career.
The Angels finished last in the American League West in 2024. Their 63 regular-season wins were their fewest for a 162-game season in franchise history. Angels starting pitchers posted the worst ERA (4.97) and allowed the third-most runs (499) in the American League last season. They also issued an American League-high 329 walks and totaled the fourth-fewest strikeouts in MLB.
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