Arlington, Texas – The Texas Rangers have signed Japanese pitcher Kohei Arihara to a $6.2 million, two-year contract.
The right-hander gets $3.6 million in 2021 and $2.6 million in 2022 and can earn $50,000 in performance bonuses each year.
He spent six years with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters of Japan’s Pacific League. The Rangers will pay a $1.2 million posting fee for Arihara, of which $600,000 is due by Jan. 9, an additional $300,000 by Dec. 26, 2021, and the final $300,000 by June 26, 2022.
The 28-year-old was 8-9 with a 3.46 ERA in 20 starts for Hokkaido during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season in Japan. He led the Pacific League with three complete games and was second in innings with 132⅔.
« The addition of Kohei Arihara strengthens the depth in our starting rotation,” Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said. « He has had success in Japan over the last six years with a breakout season in 2019. »
Arihara, who joined the Fighters as a top draft pick out of Waseda University, was the Pacific League’s rookie of the year in 2015. The Hiroshima native had a career-high 15 wins in 2019 — tied for the overall lead in Japan — and was second in ERA at 2.46 in 24 starts. He is 60-50 with a 3.74 ERA in 129 career appearances, including 125 starts.
Arihara would become the eighth native of Japan to appear in a regular-season game for the Rangers. Yu Darvish (2012-17) and Yoshinori Tateyama (2011-12) also pitched for Hokkaido before joining the Rangers, who finished last in the AL West with 22 wins and 38 losses during this year’s abbreviated major league season.
« I will continue to work hard in order for me to grow and succeed in this city,” Arihara said in a statement released by the Rangers on Saturday. « To lead into this, I will make sure to have a good offseason so that I can head into spring training in top condition.”
The Rangers made room for Arihara on the 40-man roster by designating right-hander Art Warren for assignment.
The news brought both excitement and sadness from two of Arihara’s contemporaries who have had their eyes on pitching in the States: Right-handers Ayumu Ishikawa of the Chiba Lotte Marines and Kodai Senga of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Ishikawa was cleared by his team to try the posting system but decided the timing was not right for him this season.
« He (Arihara) is a good pitcher, » Ishikawa said. « I think this is amazing. It’s something I’ve wanted to do. »
Senga has annually pleaded with the Hawks to post him, and was rejected for the fourth straight year on Saturday.
« In some ways I feel very close to (Arihara), » Senga said. « It’s a place that’s beyond my grasp, no matter how much I desire it. »
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Source : Baseball – The Japan Times