ANAHEIM — The Angels have been the most aggressive club in free agency this offseason, and they kept it up on Monday with their first big splash, agreeing to a three-year, $63 million deal with left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. The deal, formally announced on Wednesday, is the Angels’ largest since Perry Minasian became general manager in 2020.
Kikuchi is a solid upgrade to the rotation after the Angels also signed right-hander Kyle Hendricks to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million. Kikuchi immediately becomes an ace for the club and can help the Angels compete after their 99-loss campaign in 2024.
Breaking down the Yusei Kikuchi deal from all sides
The 33-year-old Kikuchi is coming off an intriguing season in which he put together one of the finest stretches of his Major League career following a midseason trade to the Astros.
“He obviously had a strong finish with Houston after the trade, but we really like what we saw before that, too,” general manager Perry Minasian said. “When you look at his underlying numbers — the strikeouts, the walks — that was a quality year overall. And for our rotation, we wanted guys who attack the strike zone. And durability is very, very important. And we wanted some swing and miss. So he fits all those things — and his makeup, obviously.”
ANAHEIM — The Angels have been the most aggressive club in free agency this offseason, and they kept it up on Monday with their first big splash, agreeing to a three-year, $63 million deal with left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. The deal, formally announced on Wednesday, is the Angels’ largest since Perry Minasian became general manager in 2020.
Kikuchi is a solid upgrade to the rotation after the Angels also signed right-hander Kyle Hendricks to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million. Kikuchi immediately becomes an ace for the club and can help the Angels compete after their 99-loss campaign in 2024.
Breaking down the Yusei Kikuchi deal from all sides
The 33-year-old Kikuchi is coming off an intriguing season in which he put together one of the finest stretches of his Major League career following a midseason trade to the Astros.
“He obviously had a strong finish with Houston after the trade, but we really like what we saw before that, too,” general manager Perry Minasian said. “When you look at his underlying numbers — the strikeouts, the walks — that was a quality year overall. And for our rotation, we wanted guys who attack the strike zone. And durability is very, very important. And we wanted some swing and miss. So he fits all those things — and his makeup, obviously.”
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