San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi confirmed his team is interested in free-agent right-hander Kodai Senga after a graphic of the pitcher was spotted on the video board inside Oracle Park earlier this month.
It’s probably not very visible in the picture, but I just drove by Oracle Park and the scoreboard is illuminated with NPB star Kodai Senga in a #SFGiants uniform with the #41. It’s been reported #SFGameUp is interested in the free-agent righty and seems like a visit is imminent. pic.twitter.com/gtyVoq9Unb
— Marc Delucchi (@maddelucchi) November 12, 2022
"He's obviously one of the top pitchers and players in Japan," Zaidi told MLB.com's Maria Guardado.
"He's had a long track record of success there. He's pitched in the World Baseball Classic, so he's gotten a little taste of the competition over here. We're just continuing to do our work and due diligence on him and other starting pitchers in the market with us having a vacancy in our rotation."
The 29-year-old Senga is one of the top starters available in free agency after a terrific career in Japan, where he posted a 104-51 record with a 2.42 ERA and 10 K/9 in 275 starts across 11 seasons.
San Francisco is looking to fill a void in the starting rotation. Left-hander Carlos Rodon opted out of his deal earlier in November following a stellar 2022 campaign where he finished sixth in National League Cy Young voting.
Zaidi said Rodon remains part of the conversations that the Giants are having about players this offseason.
The Giants also recently met with free-agent outfielder Aaron Judge.
