Tomoyuki Sugano's stock continues to rise with latest quality start

The Baltimore Orioles' season has derailed early. The Orioles were a team with high expectations of winning and the young core taking a jump forward, but it just hasn't happened. The Orioles' big international signing of the last offseason, Tomoyuki Sugano, has been a big bright spot for the club. His last start on Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers was another quality start, his fifth on the season.

Sugano has been fantastic to begin the season. In his 10 starts, the Orioles right-hander has limited opponents to three or fewer runs nine times. With an ERA of 3.07 and an average of just under six innings pitched per start, Sugano has established himself in Major League Baseball after questions about his potential in the offseason and early this season. He has fought off those concerns by going out and dominating opposing teams despite his low 13.8 % strikeout rate.

With Sugano's low strikeout rate, the question remains whether his success will be sustainable through the rest of the season. Without the overpowering stuff, Sugano would likely slot in as a back-end rotation piece for most teams. However, as the Orioles' rotation continues to be injured and struggling, he is the bright spot every turn of the rotation.

Orioles might be wise to shop Tomoyuki Sugano

With the Orioles struggling this season and following the firing of manager Brandon Hyde, Baltimore will need to consider trading their more expendable pieces to build for the future, supported by a healthy rotation backing the lineup. Sugano is one of the assets that could be in play for the Orioles, having signed him to a one-year contract last winter. With no guarantee of his return, the O's may be better off trading him to a contender and acquiring some pieces for the future.

Teams that will be interested in Sugano will come down to their view on his sustainability for the remainder of the year. His K-rate is lower than most starting pitchers in today's game and will likely be a point that drags his price down. If Sugano continues his success through the All-Star break, though, the Orioles may have more teams on the phone looking for a middle-of-the-rotation starter to help their quest for the playoffs.

The Orioles might not look to move Sugano if they believe the chances of him re-signing are high. That could be a mistake, with the team looking to be out of the hunt early this season. The return value on Sugano may never be as high due to his age and lower velocity.

Whether or not the Orioles decide to move on from him will likely be determined by the rest of the team. If Baltimore's bats get back on track and the rotation gets healthy, perhaps a turnaround is still possible.

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