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#pounditSaturday, December 28, 2024

Report: Mariners close to deal with Japanese pitcher Yusei Kikuchi

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The Seattle Mariners may be in makeover mode, but they’re still making upgrades to the team.

The Mariners are close to a deal with Japanese pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown and Jeff Passan.

Kikuchi had been in Los Angeles meeting with teams during his 30-day negotiation window, which ends on January 2. The 27-year-old southpaw has gone 74-48 with a 2.81 ERA in Japan. He was 16-6 with a 1.97 ERA for the Seibu Lions in 2017 — his best full season.

He would join a Mariners rotation that includes Marco Gonzales, Mike Leake, Justus Sheffield, Felix Hernandez and Wade LeBlanc.