The San Diego Padres landed a big free agent this week, signing Japanese relief pitcher Yuki Matsui to a 5-year, $28 million contract. The 28-year-old left-hander is expected to become a major piece in the team’s bullpen after a stellar career as a closer in Japan.
Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller spoke about what Matsui brings to the table, and how he impacts their 2024 bullpen.
“He’s got weapons,” Preller’s said. “He’s got three pitches that we think are going to play — the fastball, slider, split mix. So he’s got different ways to get out right-handed, left-handed hitters and he’s pitched in the back of the game. For us, the left-handed experience, the consistent excellent performance and some real weapons — I think it just lines up as a target guy for us this offseason.”
The Padres now have another strong left-handed option out of the bullpen, which is a big help when it comes to building out a game plan. Matsui offers Preller major flexibility in how he constructs the rest of the Padres' bullpen. In the best-case scenario, Matsui is a viable replacement for Josh Hader, the five-time All-Star closer who is expected to leave as a free agent.
Matsui was among the better relief pitchers in Japan, posting an ERA of 2.40 over 10 seasons in NPB. He uses a plus splitter to record strikeouts, and it’s difficult for batters to catch up to it.
The left-hander struck out 32.4% of opponents last season, and the Padres are banking on this skillset translation to the big leagues. They scouted him heavily, and believe he can become a dominant force in the major leagues.
“Obviously a great track record of really consistent excellence,” said Padres general manager A.J. Preller. “This nine- or 10-year run out of the bullpen, he’s been one of the best closers in the game. … It’s three pitches -- fastball, split, slider. He’s been just very consistent in terms of getting outs, getting strikeouts.”
About two months remain before the first spring training games are played, and Preller's work is not done. With Matsui in the fold, the bullpen is a much less pressing area of concern for the Padres going forward.
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