Red Sox reportedly heavily scouting Japanese star Kodai Senga
The Red Sox are scouring the free agent market looking for starting pitching. One free agent pitcher the Red Sox have been connected to is prized Japanese starter Kodai Senga.
According to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, the Red Sox have “really scouted him heavily.”
Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom spoke about Senga briefly this past week at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas.
“Without getting into any specific player, it is a market we’re very engaged (with),” Bloom said this week. “And I think we’ve shown over the years well before I was here that this organization for a lot of reasons is really well positioned to support a Japanese player both from what we can provide from a staff standpoint, environment. And players who have played here have that have come over from the NPB will speak to that. And they’ve been allies for us.”
The Red Sox are in need of high quality pitching options for the rotation. Boston currently has three of their starters on the open market in Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha and Rich Hill.
Senga will turn 30 in January is looking to pitch in a big market and for a team that will be a contender.
MLB Trade Rumors predicts the right-handed hurler will sign a five-year, $75 million deal. The annual $15 million AAV is a steal for a pitcher of his caliber, providing it translates to the big leagues.
This past season, Senga pitched to an 11-6 record, 1.94 ERA, 156 strikeouts while opponents hit .200 against the righty in 22 games.
The Red Sox are no strangers on bringing over Japanese pitchers. Former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein signed Daisuke Matsuzaka. He went on to pitch six seasons with the Red Sox seeing success in his first two years winning 33 games.
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