Japanese right-hander Shintaro Fujinami has reached agreement on a $3.25 million, one-year contract with the Oakland Athletics, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because Fujinami’s contract is pending a physical.
Much like his countryman and superstar two-way player Shohei Ohtani, Fujinami can hit, too. They will now see each other often with Ohtani also in the AL West with the Los Angeles Angels. The two stars are from the same 2012 draft class, with Fujinami just less than three months older than Ohtani. A hard-throwing 28-year-old, Fujinami could fill a key void in Oakland’s rotation as he can start or come out of the bullpen. He spent the past 10 seasons with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League. The 6-foot-6 Fujinami went 7-6 with a 2.77 ERA in 25 outings and 107 1/3 innings in 2022.It’s unclear if the A’s will use him as a batter: Fujinami had 22 plate appearances last season.
Oakland could use a boost to its depth — and some positive attention as the A’s search for a new ballpark location either in the city’s Howard Terminal area or in Las Vegas.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Oakland: Two injured in East Oakland shooting near Fremont High campusTwo people were hospitalized after an injury shooting in an East Oakland neighborhood that briefly locked down a nearby high school campus, authorities said Tuesday.
Read more »
Oakland: Two injured in East Oakland shootingTwo people were injured Thursday afternoon after a shooting along an East Oakland corridor, authorities said.
Read more »
Setback for Oakland A's waterfront ballpark plans after grant not recommendedThe dream of transforming Howard Terminal at the Port of Oakland into a new Oakland A's baseball stadium complex just got thrown a new curve ball.
Read more »
Shooting near high school injures 2, second near zoo: Oakland PoliceGunfire erupted in Oakland Tuesday in two separate shootings. The first happened near a high school and left two injured and the second happened near the Oakland Zoo.
Read more »
Teen shot Saturday in East Oakland dies from woundsA 15-year-old boy shot Saturday in East Oakland later died from his wounds, police said.
Read more »