Though he may not be a two-way player like Shohei Ohtani, Kodai Senga is potentially one of the hottest free-agent pitchers left on the market.
Senga has pitched in Japan for 11 years, and during that time he has amassed 1340.2 innings while striking out 1486 batters in comparison to walking 509. He has pitched to a 2.42 ERA. In 2022 he threw 148 innings while striking out 159 hitters and pitched to a 2.25 ERA.
As reported, there are several teams interested in him. Though Japanese players have recently stayed on the West Coast, that doesn’t count Eastern teams out.
According to scouting reports, Senga has a fastball that sits in the mid-upper 90’s and an excellent splitter that serves as his top secondary offering. Evaluators have raised some concerns about his breaking ball and the consistency of his strike-throwing effectiveness, but he bolsters a high-octane top two pitches and has a long track record of success at NPB’s highest level.
Kodai Senga Landing Spots
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners have a long list of history with Japanese players and Japan in general. Through Ichiro Suzuki, Munenori Kawasaki, Hisashi Iwakuma, Kenji Johjima, and Shigetoshi Hasegawa a lot can be told about the history of the Mariners. The Mariners have decent success with quite a few foreign players. A need for the Mariners heading into the offseason was bullpen help, with the loss of Erik Swanson, the Mariners need that help more than ever. Senga is a guy that the Mariners could replace Swanson with, a dominant relief guy who can pitch multiple innings and start.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have a dire need of Pitching. The position is pretty thin after Ohtani, even with the addition Tyler Anderson. What Japanese player wouldn’t want to team up with Ohtani, arguably the best player in baseball? The Angels have two of the best hitters in the game; Mike Trout and the Japanese Superstar that is Shohei.
New York Mets
The Mets appear to be going all in, and have expressed interest in the newest Japanese superstar. With the addition of Justin Verlander, the Mets may have one of the best pitching staff in all of baseball already. However, they would love to make it stronger. A guy like Senga is what the Mets could be missing, someone who can pitch in multiple scenarios.
Chicago Cubs
The entire world was surprised last year when the Cubs landed Seiya Suzuki, now a year later the Cubs should be in contention for any Japanese player. Out of all the teams in contention on this list, the Cubs might need the most pitching help. They did recently sign Jameson Taillon, but they appear to still going after Senga.
Boston Red Sox
The Sox have potentially had the most underwhelming offseason, with Xander Bogaerts going to the Padres. They have not been able to see this off-season go in the direction they wanted it to. With the addition of Senga, it would still be a success. The Red Sox could use him as a starter or a reliever.
San Diego Padres
Though the Padres have not been linked to Kodai Senga much recently, it would be a mistake to leave them out. The Padres appear to be gunning for a championship this season with the addition of Bogaerts. San Diego has Yu Darvish, potentially one of the best Japanese pitchers in MLB history.
There are quite a few teams still in the running for Senga, but these are just a few potential landing spots.
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