Good morning, and happy Sunday A’s nation.
The New York Mets made news this weekend signing Shintaro Fujinami, a former A’s starter and relief pitcher, to a $3.35 million contract with $850k incentives.
The former Japanese arm was the A’s biggest free agent signing just a year ago from the Hanshin Tigers of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Fujinami was used first out of the starting rotation where he gave up an abysmal 24 earned runs in 15 innings, then the A’s would quickly move him to the bullpen.
Fujinami was traded at last year's deadline to the Baltimore Orioles for southpaw prospect Easton Lucas, and he was used exclusively as a relief pitcher for the contending O’s.