Revisiting The Yusei Kikuchi Trade, Again

For the Astros, any contribution they'll receive from acquiring Yusei Kikuchi is officially over with the news on Monday morning that the left-hander agreed to a three-year, $63 million contract with the Angels. Frankly, I am not that surprised to see Kikuchi would sign elsewhere, considering how Houston still has to sort out third base with Alex Bregman being a free agent and all. I would've liked to see Kikuchi remain with the club for a few reasons, but the odds of a reunion always felt slight, especially for $21 million annually during the next three seasons. That is more of a reflection of where the Astros are in terms of player payroll than the contract for Kikuchi, to be clear. While it may become a slight overpay at that price, it isn't egregious. If anything else, it could prove to be an underpay in a year or two. But for those ten starts in 2024, Kikuchi was extremely fun to watch.

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