MLB Rumors: Red Sox Part Of Robust Market For Kodai Senga

It has been a quiet offseason for the Red Sox so far, but they reportedly remain in the mix for one of the most intriguing offseason prizes.

The Red Sox remain part of the market for Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. According to Heyman, the Senga market includes the Red Sox, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers.

If Senga lives up to the hype, he would be one of the best pitchers on the market this offseason. The soon-to-be-30-year-old (Jan. 30) has pitched 11 seasons at the highest level in Japan. Pitching for the Fukuoka Hawks, Senga has a 104-51 record with a 2.42 career ERA. The right-hander is also averaging 10 strikeouts per nine innings over that time.

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The Red Sox connection isn’t entirely surprising. MLB Trade Rumors in its free agency predictions had Boston ultimately landing the Japanese star. MLBTR predicted Senga could fetch a five-year, $75 million contract while making the jump to Major League Baseball.

Senga features a fastball in the mid-to-upper-90s with solid secondary stuff, highlighted by a fall-off-the-table splitter, dubbed the “ghost fork.”

With a market like the one Heyman reported, though, it’s far from a sure thing the Red Sox can get Senga to sign on the dotted line, especially considering a top-heavy pitching market that already is starting to dry up with Jacob deGrom signing with the Texas Rangers and Justin Verlander joining the Mets.