Wednesday 4th December 2024

Los Angeles Angels and pitcher Yusei Kikuchi agree to three-year, $63M contract

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi walks to the dugout during a game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum. Oakland^ California - July 5^ 2022
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi walks to the dugout during a game against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum. Oakland^ California - July 5^ 2022

The Los Angeles Angels and free-agent pitcher Yusei Kikuchi agreed to a three-year, $63 million contract. The 33-year-old Kikuchi will recieve $21 million annually during the contract, which raises his MLB earnings to $142 million over nine seasons.

The lefty spent his first three seasons with the Seattle Mariners, and over his first 166 career appearances he went 41-47 with a 4.57 ERA, and was an All-Star with Seattle in 2021. He signed with Toronto in March 2022, agreeing to a $36 million, three-year contract at the time. The six-year veteran split last season with the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros — the Blue Jays traded the six-year veteran to the Astros in July — and over 32 appearances last season, Kikuchi went 9-10 with a 4.05 ERA. His four-seam fastball averaged 95.5 mph this year, the highest of his big league career.

The Angels finished last in the American League West in 2024. Their 63 regular-season wins were their fewest for a 162-game season in franchise history. Angels starting pitchers posted the worst ERA (4.97) and allowed the third-most runs (499) in the American League last season. They also issued an American League-high 329 walks and totaled the fourth-fewest strikeouts in MLB.

Editorial credit: Conor P. Fitzgerald / Shutterstock.com

Loading...