Last week, left-hander Yusei Kikuchi signed a three-year, $63 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. However, before making this commitment, the Baltimore Orioles would have been interested in his services.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote this in a column Monday:

The Baltimore Orioles were down on Snell and Kikuchi, pitchers they were particularly attracted to because they weren’t tied to qualifying offers and could be signed without losing a draft pick.

The lack of draft losses was certainly attractive to teams, and Kikuchi would have had a strong market from the start of free agency.

Originally from Japan, Kikuchi made 32 starts last season, demonstrating a strong level of reliability. He also made 32 in 2023 with the Toronto Blue Jays. Additionally, after a mid-season trade from Toronto to Houston in 2024, he went 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA. He struck out 206 total batters for the year in 175.2 innings, displaying elite-level stuff. He has a mid-90s fastball and wipeout slider and he helped the Astros win the American League West once again.

Before arriving in Toronto and Houston, Kikuchi spent three years with the Sailors after coming from Japan, going 15-24 during his tenure. One of the most frustrating pitchers in recent M memory, he failed to be consistent. He made the All-Star Game with Seattle in 2021, but didn’t even finish the year in the rotation that season.

Now he’ll try to help the Angels end the longest playoff drought in sports.

As for the Orioles, they attacked Snell and Kikuchi. They could try to draft left-handed ace Max Fried or bring back Corbin Burnes, but if they don’t want to shop at the top of the food chain, they could choose to enter the Garrett Crochet trade market.

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