BREAKING: Dodgers Linked to All-Star Astros Pitcher in Potential Blockbuster Move
The MLB free-agent market is now open, and the Dodgers are among several teams showing interest in Houston Astros left-handed pitcher, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Other teams linked to Kikuchi include the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays. However, the Astros are also looking to retain the 2021 American League All-Star. Kikuchi began his MLB career with the Seattle Mariners in 2019 and later signed a three-year, $36 million deal with the Blue Jays in 2022. After two and a half seasons in Toronto, he was traded to Houston at the deadline, where he made 10 starts. In those 60 innings, he posted a 5-1 record with a 2.70 ERA, striking out 76 and walking 14.
If Kikuchi joins the Dodgers, he would become the third Japanese-born pitcher in their rotation, joining Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. Kikuchi is from Morioka, Japan, about an hour away from Ohtani’s hometown of Oshu. There’s also the potential for the Dodgers to sign a fourth Japanese-born starter, Roki Sasaki, with the team’s Japanese connections possibly influencing his decision.
Regardless of the free-agent additions, the Dodgers will return seven starting pitchers next season, including Yamamoto, Ohtani, Landon Knack, Tyler Glasnow, Emmett Sheehan, Dustin May, and Tony Gonsolin. However, Ohtani’s return to pitching may be delayed due to his recovery from labrum surgery.