Report: Mariners get Kikuchi on 3-year deal with optional 4-year extension

The Seattle Mariners have agreed to a deal with Japanese pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, sources told Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports.

Kikuchi's three-year deal is worth $43 million and includes a four-year, $66-million extension that can be triggered by the Mariners after the first three years, a source told Jeff Passan of ESPN.

If Seattle doesn't enact the extension, Passan adds, Kikuchi can opt for free agency or accept a $13-million player option for 2022. In total, the left-hander is guaranteed $56 million and can max out at $109 million.

The 27-year-old Kikuchi was one of the premier free agents on the open market and had been linked to the Mariners, a franchise with a reputation for investing in Japanese players like Ichiro Suzuki and Hisashi Iwakuma.

"He's very good. His performance speaks for itself," Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said of Kikuchi. "He's got real stuff, and he's had a lot of success in Japan. We've probably scouted him as much as any player in (Nippon Professional Baseball) in recent years, just because he's been there for a number of years and we've had a lot of volume."

Kikuchi's performance tailed off last season because of recurring shoulder issues, but he still managed a 3.08 ERA in 163 2/3 innings for the Seibu Lions. In 2017, he finished with a 16-6 record and a 1.97 ERA, along with 217 strikeouts in 187 2/3 innings.

The Mariners open the 2019 season against the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, so Kikuchi may wind up making his MLB debut in his homeland.