The Mariners have scouted Yusei Kikuchi maybe more than any other overseas player in general manager Jerry Dipoto’s tenure with the club.
And all their intel on the star Japanese lefty says he’s worth it.
“He’s very good,” Dipoto told reporters Monday from MLB’s winter meetings in Las Vegas. “His performance speaks for itself. He’s got real stuff and he’s had a lot of success in Japan.”
That’s why Dipoto says he’s pushing to bring the 27-year-old Kikuchi to Seattle next season after he went 14-4 with a 3.08 ERA in 23 starts and 163 2/3 innings with the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball, Japan’s top league.