The Mets have added Japanese righty Shintaro Fujinami, according to Jon Heyman at the Post. Heyman added Fujinami’s deal is for $3.35 million, plus incentives.
Fujinami to Mets. $3.35M, $850K incentives
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 2, 2024
Fujinami, 29, split last season between the Oakland A’s and Baltimore Orioles, going 7-8 while posting an ugly 7.18 ERA and a pair of saves in 64 games (seven starts). He previously spent a decade with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan, leaving with a 3.14 career ERA between the rotation and bullpen. The A’s signed him to a one-year, $3.25 million deal, and traded him to Baltimore in July.
However, it was with Baltimore that Fujinami found his groove. His ERA with the O’s was wasn’t great at 4.85, but his FIP was better at 4.16. That’s ace-like compared to the 8.57 mark he had in Oakland.
And with the Mets, Shintaro Fujinami should expect a chance at cracking the starting rotation. There isn’t a ton of depth behind Kodai Senga and Luis Severino, so don’t be surprised if Jeremy Hefner puts in some extra work here. Fujinami has an imposing presence on the mound at 6-foot-6 and throws four pitches: a fastball, slider, cutter, and splitter. His fastball’s average velocity last year was 98.4 mph, good enough for MLB’s 97th percentile.
Better yet is that Fujinami’s pitches are indeed effective, at least to a certain degree. His Stuff+, which measures everything from a pitch’s spin to its break to its overall movement, was above average at 114. He also toyed with learning the sweeper last year, something Hefner can experiment with in spring training.
Maybe it’s pitch selection, maybe it’s mechanics. Perhaps both. Either way, the Mets feel they can get at least something out of Shintaro Fujinami. At best, he’s a mid-to-back end starter who proves a diamond in the rough.
At worst, assuming he can’t keep the walks down, having nearly 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) means he’ll be a useful bullpen arm.
