The One That Got Away: AL Powerhouse Comes Up Just Short in Pursuit of…
Details regarding the Yusei Kikuchi’s free agency are beginning to trickle in.
Just days ago, the veteran left-hander signed a massive three-year deal worth $63 million with the Los Angeles Angels.
However, another American League team had interest in signing him.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic noted in a Monday column that the Baltimore Orioles were in the running.
“The Baltimore Orioles were in on Snell and Kikuchi, pitchers who were particularly attractive to them because they were not tied to qualifying offers and could be signed without losing a draft pick.”
The six-year veteran, who debuted with the Seattle Mariners in 2019, joins his fourth team by signing with the Halos. His standout season came in 2023 with the Blue Jays, where he posted an 11-6 record and a 3.86 ERA, playing a key role in their postseason run. He was dealt to the Houston Astros at the trade deadline last year and contributed to their playoff appearance — a feat his new team has not achieved since 2014.
The Angels have been busy this winter and general manager Perry Minasian is glad his club signed the starter as he makes the starting rotation better before ever stepping on the mound for the Halos.
“I believe we’re better,” Minasian said. “Biggest commitment I’ve made since I’ve been here, and I don’t take that likely, but I felt like we needed to add a rotation piece that could slot everybody down.”
In 2024, he posted a 4.05 ERA across 32 starts, splitting his time between two teams. He also made 32 starts in 2023, appeared in 32 games in 2022, and pitched in 29 games in 2021. This consistent durability likely played a significant role in earning his current deal with the Angels.
As Minasian hinted, the Angels aren’t done adding to the roster and Kikuchi’s signing just continued an already busy offseason for the Angels. Before signing the southpaw, the Angels signed starter Kyle Hendricks and catcher Travis d’Arnaud in free agency, while also trading for outfielder Jorge Soler.
Los Angeles has clearly emerged as the most aggressive team in MLB this winter.
“We’re trying to get better, so with what we’ve done so far, we’ve been pretty aggressive,” Minasian said. “We’re going to continue to be aggressive. When you have the year we had, there’s definitely areas to get better. Really every area. We’ll look to attack all those areas and improve this club.”
