Blue Jays: Back to Japan for bullpen reinforcements?

The Blue Jays will be looking to add to their bullpen this off-season, and they might be smart to go back to the well in Japan for relief help.

As we draw closer to the start of free agency, we know that the Blue Jays will be in pursuit of some resources for their pitching staff.

The front office has been pretty savvy in this area over the last few years, creatively finding inexpensive options that have made a tangible difference. For example, they claimed Anthony Bass off of waivers last fall and he wound up as a crucial back-end arm in the bullpen in 2020, all while making just 1.5 million (before salaries were prorated). They made another wise addition by plucking Rafael Dolis from Japan and signing him to a one-year deal with an option, and that worked out incredibly well too.

With that in mind, the Blue Jays could go back to the same well in Japan that they used to find Dolis last winter, and there’s one notable arm that could be ready to play in North America in 2021. According to MLBtraderumors.com, Hirokazu Sawamura is drawing interest from MLB clubs already as he considers a jump the big leagues, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the Blue Jays were among those who’ve been in contact.

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We’re not likely to be talking about a potential phenom here, but the nine-year veteran of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan comes with some legit upside. Over those nine seasons and 862 innings pitched, Sawamura has a a 2.77 ERA while posting a 8.1 K/9 vs. a 2.7 BB/9. He’s said to feature a fastball that can touch 97 miles per hour, as well as a strong splitter, and a slider as a third offering.

According to MLBtraderumors’ report, the 32-year-old has spent most of his recent time as more of a set-up man after struggling with some injury issues, but has the tools to succeed as a closer as well. If he were to land in Toronto, he likely wouldn’t be asked to pitch the 9th inning anyway, as that role will likely go to Jordan Romano and/or Dolis, or perhaps another arm yet to be added to the bullpen picture. If he were looked at as a high-upside reliever in the same vein as Dolis from last winter, that could be an intriguing option.

It also just so happens that the Blue Jays employ a former teammate of Sawamura’s in Shun Yamaguchi, who also played with the Yomiuri Giants from 2017-2019 before making his own leap to North America. Hopefully Yamaguchi’s first year in the big leagues was a positive enough experience that he could be an advantage in recruiting his former teammate, although it was certainly an odd year. The pandemic shortened the season and messed up the way Spring Training is usually done, and Yamaguchi initially struggled to adjust, also ending up as a reliever rather than a starter. Still, I’m sure the Blue Jays plan to retain him for the 2021 campaign, and a familiar face should be helpful if Blue Jays are interested in Sawamura.

You can almost be certain that Ross Atkins the front office will be looking for help for both the rotation and the bullpen, and they’ve cast a wide net in their search before. In this case, it makes a lot of sense that they’d go back to the same place they’ve looked for bullpen help.