NPB Star Kohei Arihara Signing 2-Year Contract With the Texas Rangers

In 2020 with the Ham Fighters, Arihara pitched in 20 games and had a 3.46 ERA and 1.186 WHIP. His 2019 season was the best of his NPB career when he had a 2.46 ERA in 164.1 IP. The Kohei Arihara signing brings a #4 or #5 arm to the rotation of a team that doesn"t project to be fighting for a playoff spot, but this is still an amazing move for both sides.

The former Ham Fighters" pitcher"s options came down to the Red Sox and Rangers, but the situation in Texas might be the best for him. The Red Sox would"ve benefitted significantly from a Kohei Arihara signing, but at a $6-7M price tag, he would be great for any team.

Kohei Arihara Signing: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers made big moves last offseason and had high expectations entering 2020, but fell flat and won just 22 games. They were supposed to have a three-headed monster at the top of their rotation, but Corey Kluber got hurt and Minor couldn"t repeat his 2019 success. Since then, they have replaced their GM with former pitcher Chris Young, traded Lance Lynn, and traded for young first baseman Nate Lowe from Tampa Bay.

With the Kohei Arihara signing, the Rangers have added an arm to their rotation that has lost Lynn, Mike Minor and presumably Kluber in the past few months. This move may look insignificant at face-value, but it is a low-risk move for a team that has made some sneaky great moves so far this offseason, while cutting their payroll significantly.

This is a great move for Chris Young and the Texas Rangers, who will try to work Arihara into their rotation for 2021.

Kohei Arihara Signing: Arihara

Kohei Arihara has been inconsistent since his 2016 season that he recorded a 2.94 ERA, and he isn"t one of the top arms in the NPB like Tomoyuki Sugano, who was also posted by his team, the Yomiuri Giants on December 7th. Although Sugano is projected to be one of the best free-agent starting pitchers on the market, Kohei Arihara will have to establish himself as a capable major league pitcher in his two years in Arlington.

Joining a rebuilding team gives him a great opportunity to showcase his skills as a starter, rather than worrying about fighting for a back-end spot in a stacked rotation. Arihara"s strikeout numbers were down in 2020, down from 8.8 K/9 in 2019 to 7.2. His fastball sits around 93-94 MPH and he has shown success in the NPB, but Kohei Arihara signing with the Rangers might not work out immediately in 2020.

His change-up/splitter is his best pitch, but he also has a slider and two-seamer in his repertoire. He"ll hit free agency once again in 2022, at 30-years-old, giving himself two seasons to establish himself as an MLB-caliber arm.

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