The San Diego Padres have been the lead team expected to sign Yuki Matsui all offseason. That deal is now reportedly done, according to Yakyu Cosmopolitan. Matsui has also reportedly already undergone the physical and the deal is done.
The Padres are likely to lose Josh Hader in free agency this offseason, Yuki Matsui provides the Padres with a solid replacement. It’s likely that the Japanese left-hander will take over as the teams closer. Last season with the Golden Eagles, Matsui posted an ERA of 1.57 over 59 games. He also recorded 39 saves. Though, 30+ saves is nothing new from Matsui. Since 2015, he has recorded six seasons with 30+ saves. He’s had four consecutive seasons with 20+ saves. During his NPB career, he compiled a 2.40 ERA and 236 saves during that time. He’s a five-time NPB All-Star and is the league’s youngest player to reach the 200-save mark.
His skillset should translate to the MLB just fine. He features a four-pitch mix (fastball, splitter, slider and curveball) with the ability to strike out hitters well (31.9%). The most intriguing part about Matsui is that he doesn’t come with a posting fee. He reached free agency naturally by using nine years of service time in the NPB. The Padres bullpen still has some concerns heading into the 2024 season but adding Matsui allows them to move Robert Suarez to a setup role. It’ll provide a little more stability.
Though, its not their first move of the offseason. It will be their first signing of the offseason. The Padres plan to reduce their payroll with Diamond Sports Group going bankrupt. They had to take out a loan after the season to help cover the cost of the payroll.
According to Jeff Passan, the deal is worth five years and $28 million. So one year has been added on since the initial report.
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