Tomoyuki Sugano has until Thursday to sign an MLB deal, and there's at least one substantial offer on the table.
The Toronto Blue Jays appear to have made a strong bid for the Japanese ace, reports The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. Details of the Blue Jays' offer are unknown.
The 31-year-old arrived in the United States to weigh his final offers in early January after going 14-2 with a 1.97 ERA and 0.89 WHIP over 137 1/3 innings for the Yomiuri Giants last season.
He's drawn interest from Toronto, in addition to the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, and Texas Rangers. However, the Mets have reportedly dropped out of the race for the right-hander's services.
If Sugano fails to find an MLB deal this year, he could return to Japan and sign one in the future. Yomiuri has made him a four-year offer with opt-out options in every year of the deal, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
Sugano is a two-time winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award, which is given annually to Japan's top pitcher.
He owns a 101-49 record with a 2.32 ERA in eight seasons with the Giants.
