Orioles might have no choice but to bring back surprising free agent success story

After Baltimore Orioles starter Tomoyuki Sugano labored through 3 2/3 innings against the Guardians on July 21, he had a strong message for the team’s front office ahead of the impending trade deadline. “I really want to stay with this team and win with this team,” he said after the game. “I want to continue to play for this team as long as I can.” 

The Orioles front office granted him his wish at this year’s trade deadline when they held onto him despite overhauling the major league roster, and he’s rewarded them with a strong performance that should have the front office thinking about whether he’s a part of the team’s long-team core. 

Orioles might have no choice but to bring back Tomoyuki Sugano

Sugano’s nightmarish outing against the Guardians has been his lone rough outing as of late, as the 35-year-old has posted a 2.31 ERA in his last four starts since his blow up against the Guardians. 

However, Sugano has seemingly turned things around. He now has a 4.13 ERA in 126 1/3 innings this season — something that seemed like a pipe dream as he struggled through a rough  late June and early July. 

The Orioles signed the 35-year-old Sugano to a one-year, $13 million contract after he put together a prestigious career in Nippon Professional Baseball in the hopes that he’d be the final piece for a team that entered the season with World Series aspirations. While those aspirations have gone by the wayside, Sugano has finally settled into MLB and is beginning to look like the kind of pitcher who spent 12 years baffling hitters in Japan. 

It’s not hard to imagine how Sugano could help the Orioles next season. While the Orioles still have Trevor Rogers (who could be extension candidate after the season), Dean Kremer and Cade Povich as starters who are controllable after this season, Zach Eflin is set to hit free agency alongside Sugano. 

Although it seems like Eflin is as good as gone, they could save themselves from having to fill another spot in the rotation by re-signing Sugano. He may not be a front-of-the-rotation ace, but he’s a quality No. 3 or 4 starter, which is arguably just as important as having an ace at the front of the rotation.

The Orioles already will have plenty of holes to fill on their roster this offseason in an attempt to wash the stink of this season away, and re-signing Sugano would be an easy way to do that. 

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