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Rockies Acquires Veteran Pitcher to Bolster Their Rotation

The Rockies front office makes more moves to strengthen the team

Miguel Medina

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano throws the pitch
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano throws the pitch / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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Knowing that pitching depth was needed, the Colorado Rockies have added pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano on a one-year, $5.1 million contract. The Rockies are continuing to add steadily to their roster throughout this offseason, and this might just be exactly what was needed.

The 36-year-old spent the 2025 season with the Baltimore Orioles, where he posted a 10-10 record with a 4.64 ERA, 106 strikeouts, and a 1.33 WHIP in 30 starts. 

Sugano Can Bring Excellent Results to Coors Field

Pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano looks at dugout / Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The Japanese-born player enters his second season in the majors. Before coming to the big leagues, he was a standout pitcher in Japan, where he spent 12 seasons playing for the Yomiuri Giants. 

While developing in Japan, Sugano became an 8-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star, a three-time Central League MVP. He led the Central League in wins (2017, 2018, 2020) and led the ERA four times (2014, 2016-2018). He finished his career going 136-75 with a 2.45 ERA and 1,596 strikeouts. 

Sugano likes to throw the splitter a lot. He can throw up to the upper 80s with this pitch. Coors Field is going to present Sugano with the ultimate challenge because of the weather conditions in Colorado. Just like with every pitcher, adjustments will be necessary for him to thrive this season.

Setting the tone in the first half will be crucial. If Sugano doesn’t impress the Rockies, then they might trade him during the trade deadline. 

It’s been a productive off-season for the Rockies’ president of baseball operations, Paul DePodesta. In his first season, he’s made some solid moves. After a season of losing 119 games, substantial changes needed to be made for the baseball world to start to take notice.

Colorado’s front office acquired players such as Willi Castro, TJ Rumfield, Michael Lorenzen, and now Sugano is another piece to the puzzle. Sugano will join Lorenzen alongside their current pitchers, like Kyle Freeland, Ryan Feltner, and Chase Dolander. Sugano and Lorenzen signed one-year deals, and both are veterans who will enter the 2026 campaign with a chip on their shoulder. 

The Rockies' starting pitching now has options, and veteran leadership will make Sugano feel welcome. It’s going to be competitive between all pitchers, but they have a common goal of helping Colorado get better. 

Sugano will do everything he can to have an outstanding season. He will definitely have many opportunities to pitch and take advantage of every hitter he faces. 

He may not be the same pitcher that he was in Japan, but he is still capable of impacting the game by striking out opponents. His baseball experiences help him a lot. Who knows? This acquisition could go down as a steal for the Rockies organization. Sugano now has a chance to prove that the Rockies made a great decision in signing him. 

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Miguel Medina
MIGUEL MEDINA

After graduating from City College of New York in 2014, Miguel created his own blog. Since 2021, he has written for FanSided, where he covered the Toronto Blue Jays, College Football and Utah Mammoth hockey team. He also wrote for Miami Heat on SI and Cleveland Sports Talk. Miguel is the creator and host of his podcast, Baseball Heat Podcast with Mike.

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