Shintaro Fujinami signs contract with Athletics

OAKLAND – The A’s continued their quietly active offseason Wednesday, reaching an agreement with Japanese right-hander Shintaro Fujinami on a one-year deal, sources told MLB.com. No physical pending transactions have been confirmed by the Club.

Several teams have been associated with the slugging right-hander since his official post by Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball organization Hanshin Tigers. A’s plan to have Fujinami join the starting rotation may have been a big factor in his decision.

Fujinami, who turns 29 in April, has spent 10 seasons with the Hanshin Tigers, posting a 3.41 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP in 189 games, striking out 1,011 and walking 459 in 994 1/3 innings. He also played for Japan in the 2017 World Baseball His Classic, going scoreless in two innings with his four strikeouts in his only appearance against China in the first round of the tournament.

Fujinami was hailed as a promising pitcher in the same draft class as Shohei Ohtani, jumping to NPB from high school and quickly excelling, but only about three years into his professional career, he suffered a few nasty hits. However, Fujinami has shown signs of a comeback in the past two years, including the 2022 campaign. Fujinami reduced his steps to his career-high 7.6%, posting a 3.78 ERA with 65 strikeouts in his 66 2/3 innings.

Listed at 6 feet 6 inches and 180 pounds, Fujinami brings a three-pitch mix featuring a fastball recorded at 100 miles per hour, complete with a low 90s splitter and a sharp slider that has flashed positive in the past. I’m here.

Since Fujinami has gone through the procedure for listing on NPB, A has to pay the Hanshin Tigers a “cancellation fee” of 20% of the contract guarantee amount in order to obtain the right to sign a contract with the major leagues.

As long as Fujinami fits in with Oakland, keeping him in the starting role would add another name to the ever-growing list of starting rotation contenders. added left-hander Kyle Muller, signed right-hander Drew Lushinski earlier this offseason, and signed Cole Ervin, Paul Blackburn, Ken Woldichuk, JP Sears, James Caprilian, and Adrian Martinez. And Adam Oler is still on the roster as an option that was part of last year’s rotation.