When Tomoyuki Sugano was rocked by the Guardians in late July, it looked like his time with the Baltimore Orioles might be short-lived. Instead, the veteran right-hander doubled down on his commitment, telling reporters he wanted to stay and win in Baltimore. The front office chose to keep him at the deadline — and Sugano has made the most of that chance.
Since that rough outing, the 35-year-old has put together a 2.31 ERA across his last four starts, stabilizing a rotation that desperately needed consistency. His overall ERA now sits at 4.13 over 126 1/3 innings, a remarkable turnaround considering his midseason struggles.
Signed to a one-year, $13 million deal after a decorated career in Nippon Professional Baseball, Sugano was expected to be a key piece for a team with championship hopes. Those team goals have faded, but his individual performance suggests he’s finally settling into MLB and could still be a valuable rotation arm.
Looking ahead, Baltimore will face tough choices with their pitching staff. Zach Eflin is expected to hit free agency, while Dean Kremer, Trevor Rogers, and Cade Povich remain under team control. Retaining Sugano would give the Orioles a reliable mid-rotation option, sparing them from needing to patch yet another hole this offseason.
He may not be the ace he once was in Japan, but as a dependable No. 3 or 4 starter, Sugano could be exactly what Baltimore needs to steady its staff going into 2026. With plenty of roster gaps to address, re-signing him might be one of the team’s simplest and smartest moves.
