With Carlos Rodón likely departing for a long-term contract, the Giants have a spot in their rotation to fill for 2023. One option has emerged as a possible match.
Kodai Senga, who has pitched the past 11 seasons in the Nippon Professional Baseball league, filed for international free agency this winter and is expected to sign with a MLB team. The Giants are reportedly one of many clubs interested in the 29-year-old right-hander.
According to MLB Network insider Jon Morosi, the Giants are ‘heavily involved’ in Kodai Senga’s free agent market.
“On the pitching side of things, with Carlos Rodón now a free agent — if they don’t re-sign Rodón, and they don’t seem necessarily to be all that solidly in the (Justin) Verlander market — Senga is likely that next key piece for them to pursue,” Morosi said.
Last year with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, Senga registered a 1.89 ERA in 148 innings. He boasts a 100-mph fastball and a splitter. The Athletic’s Keith Law projected he could sign a four-year, $80 million deal.
Unlike many of the top free agent starters — Verlander, Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt, Tyler Anderson, Nathan Eovaldi — there’s no draft pick compensation attached to Senga. That makes him an especially appealing target for teams in need of starting pitching help.
The Giants’ interest in Senga has been in the ether for weeks. On Nov. 12, Fan Nation’s Marc Delucchi spotted the Oracle Park jumbotron displaying a photoshopped graphic of Senga in a No. 41 Giants jersey.