GOOD NEWS: Philadelphia Phillies Signed Japanese All-Star Pitcher to Minor League Contract…

Philadelphia Phillies Sign Japanese All-Star Pitcher to Minor League Contract.

The Philadelphia Phillies might have missed out on phenom Roki Sasaki – and it sounds like they played a huge part in the Los Angeles Dodgers officially signing him – but that’s not stopping them from taking their first step towards having a real footprint in Japan.

Per Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors, the Phillies have signed Koyo Aoyagi to a minor league deal and will invite him to Spring Training as a non-rostered invite.

This certainly isn’t a headliner, but adding the right-handed pitcher after he was posted by his Nippon Professional Baseball team in early-December of 2024 will hopefully allow this franchise to start landing some of the more high-profile players from Japan who are looking to come to the MLB.

As far as what Aoyagi can bring to the table, he is viewed as a depth piece.

The sidearm thrower was effective for the Hanshin Tigers during his nine seasons with the team, recording a 3.08 ERA across his 154 outings, 12 starts and 898.1 innings pitched.

How everything translates to this level will be seen, but Philadelphia is excited to have him in the mix.

“We like him for his uniqueness. You don’t see many guys from the sidearm angle. He’s been a warrior in Japan. He’s been a starter and reliever. So many different things,” assistant general manager Jorge Velandia said per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

He’ll have a chance to make the big league roster if he performs well.

The Phillies have not made major additions to their bullpen outside of signing Jordan Romano, and with Jeff Hoffman already with a new ballclub and Carlos Estevez likely to follow suit, there could be an open spot somewhere down the line.

If that happens, then Aoyagi will be the third Japanese player to play for Philadelphia and the first since 2008.

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