Tomoyuki Sugano Rumors: 'Increasingly Realistic' Chance SP Doesn't Sign in MLB

Japanese pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano is considered one of the top free agents on the market this offseason, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will end up with a Major League Baseball team.   

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, there's an "increasingly realistic possibility" that the 31-year-old right-hander doesn't sign with a team before his posting deadline expires on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET. 

The Yomiuri Giants formally posted Sugano to MLB teams on Dec. 8, giving every team 30 days to negotiate a deal with his representatives. 

If Sugano doesn't agree to a contract with an MLB team before his deadline expires, the Japanese star will return to the Giants in 2021. 

Passan noted that Yomiuri has offered Sugano a long-term contract that also includes opt-out clauses after each season if he returns to the club. 

Speculation about Sugano has run rampant since he was posted last month. Passan reported on Dec. 14 that the two-time Central League MVP was receiving interest from the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers, among others. 

MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported Monday that the New York Mets were likely out of the running, but the Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants were in the mix. 

Sugano has spent the past eight seasons with Yomiuri. He won the Central League MVP award in 2020 after posting a 14-2 record with a 1.97 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 137.1 innings. He won back-to-back Eiji Sawamura awards in 2017 and 2018 as the league's top pitcher.