Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
3 Takeaways From Yusei Kikuchi's Introductory Blue Jays Press Conference
With Toronto’s pristine player development complex as a backdrop, Yusei Kikuchi officially became the newest Toronto Blue Jay.
The left-handed starter signed a three-year, $36 million deal with Toronto earlier this week, becoming the final piece of a strong rotation. Alongside GM Ross Atkins, Kikuchi answered questions from the media and explained his decision to join the organization.
“The future is very, very bright for Yusei," Atkins said, beginning the press conference.
1. Interest Renewed
The Blue Jays had interest in Kikuchi when he first became a free agent back in 2019, Atkins confirmed on Tuesday, before he ultimately signed with Seattle. The interest dates back to Kikuchi's professional days in the Japanese league, where the lefty held a career 2.77 ERA across 108 games started and 1010.2 innings.
When Kikuchi opted out of his contract with the Mariners after the 2021 season, Atkins said he became a priority, once again.
"It was one of the early targets for us," Atkins said.
Kikuchi joins a Toronto rotation with another long-time Blue Jays interest, Kevin Gausman. The Jays repeatedly tried for Gausman for multiple offseasons before they ultimately inked him to a long-term contract before the lockout.
2. Room For Growth
Kikuchi's 2021 season was a tale of two halves. In the first half, he rocked a 3.48 ERA and 1.088 WHIP. After his first-ever appearance as an MLB all-star, Kikuchi allowed a 5.98 ERA.
The starter said, through an interpreter, he has a "good idea" on what went wrong in the back half of 2021 and worked in the offseason to put himself in a better position this year with minor mechanical adjustments.
“Confidence in my fastball and being aggressive in the zone will help me and my three other pitches as well,” Kikuchi said through his interpreter.
Toronto's newest starter also mentioned early conversations with Jays' pitching coach Pete Walker, and some potential tweaks to pitch usage and catcher setup.
"[Walker] had mentioned that he has studied me for a little bit now," Kikuchi said.
3. Video Message Won Kikuchi Over
Kikuchi mentioned the state of the Blue Jays organization, seeing the strength of the team from afar last year, and talking to some of his former teammates about the city as reasons he signed with Toronto.
The starter also mentioned a video message he received from Atkins and some of his new teammates, as a contributing factor in his decision to ink the three-year contract.
“It showed how amazing the city is, this great facility, comments from the staff and players—big star players," Kikuchi said. "Comments from them really meant a lot to me.”
The entire press conference can be viewed here.
