The Angels and Giants could be in a bidding war for this free agent starter

Evan Roberts

World Baseball Classic - Pool E- Game 2 - Japan v Netherlands / Matt Roberts/GettyImages

The Minasian brothers might be at odds during their Thanksgiving dinner. Zack Minasian, the new GM of the San Francisco Giants, is expressing interest in Tomoyuki Sugano. Perry Minasian, the recently extended Angels GM, is also interested in the 35-year-old starting pitcher. Per Jon Morosi, there are several other teams in on Sugano, but the Angels and Giants are the two named teams that are scouting him thus far.

Both the Giants and Angels need help in their starting rotation. The Giants will assuredly be losing Blake Snell in free agency, and are desperately searching for pitching as a result. The Angels have needed pitching help for some time now, and are doing their best to sign every savvy, likable veteran on the open market. Sugano is a logical fit for both organizations.

Tomoyuki Sugano is worth a bidding war/sweepstakes

While Sugano cannot make up Snell's production or turn the Angels' run prevention around, he should be a solid addition for any club that ends up signing him. He has an incredible amount of hardware from his time with the Yomiuri Giants, and a lot of the trophies were accrued in recent years. Sugano used to throw his fastball in the upper-90s, but has learned to hone his arsenal and pitch effectively even without the highest velo in the world. His splitter/forkball dances, his accuracy is off the charts, and he is highly dedicated to his craft and training. Off the field, he clearly is a family man and a beloved baseball figure.

While he might not be the most traditional starting pitcher on the market, he could be a steal. Unlike many players coming over from the NPB, Sugano will not require an extra payment via a posting fee. That extra money saved makes the NPB legend even more enticing. The Athletic's Tim Britton projected his salary in the one year, $11 million range. The Angels and Giants are diving into the mid-tier starting pitching market, and Sugano could be the cream of that crop given the price tag and previous performance.

Now that the Minasians are helming the Giants and Angels, the two organizations' will be intertwined for the foreseeable future. The two brothers squaring off for free agents is a fun subplot to an incredibly juicy offseason.

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Evan Roberts

Evan Roberts worked in professional baseball for 5 years, after pitching collegiately at Davidson College for 4. After graduating in 2018, he worked with the Boston Red Sox at their Pawtucket affiliate for the 2019 season as a Player Development Intern. He picked up with the Chicago White Sox in 2020, but after the Minor League season was canceled he worked with Team USA Baseball at their National Training Complex as a Trackman Stringer/Operator. From 2021-2023, he worked with the Los Angeles Angels as a Game Planning Strategist at their Arizona (ROK League), Salt Lake (AAA), Rocket City (AA) affiliates. He attended the Angels' last 2 Major League Spring Trainings. During Rookie Ball games, he coached 1st base and assisted the players & coaches in the dugout.