Nats sign first Japanese free agent with 2-year deal for Ogasawara

For the first time in club history, the Nationals have signed a player directly from Asia, announcing today a two-year deal with Japanese left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara.

Ogasawara was an All-Star for the Chunichi Dragons in 2023 and posted a 3.12 ERA over 144 1/3 innings last season, his ninth in Nippon Professional Baseball. The 27-year-old is not known for high strikeout totals (only 82 last season) but has proven to be an extreme strike-thrower and groundball specialist, issuing only 22 walks while allowing only nine homers.

Financial terms of the contract weren’t immediately clear, but it is a major league deal, putting Ogasawara on the Nationals’ 40-man roster. To clear space for him, the club designated left-hander Joe La Sorsa for assignment.

Though he was not as highly touted as some other recent Japanese pitchers, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, both high-profile additions by the Dodgers, Ogasawara did draw interest from a number of major league franchises. The posting deadline to sign him was today, adding some urgency to the Nats’ pursuit. Had he not signed with anyone by the end of the day, he would have gone back to the Dragons for another season.

It remains to be seen how the Nationals intend to utilize Ogasawara. Though he's been starter throughout his career in Japan, American scouting reports have suggested he could be more effective as a reliever if he can’t make it as a back-of-the-rotation arm. The team has already signed two free agents this winter, Michael Soroka and Trevor Williams, who were under the impression they’ll be starting to begin the season. MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin are locks to lead the staff after their performances in 2024. Young lefties DJ Herz and Mitchell Parker should also be in the mix this spring.

Originally a 2015 first-round pick out of his high school, Ogasawara made his NPB debut at 18 and went 54-72 with a 3.67 ERA, 863 strikeouts and only 361 walks in 1,098 innings across nine seasons with the Dragons. He also represented Japan in the 2015 U-18 Baseball World Cup, helping his team to a second-place finish.

Most noteworthy about the Nats’ signing of Ogasawara is that they signed him in the first place. For two decades, the organization scouted Asia modestly without ever signing a player directly from the continent. There have been three Asian players, all pitchers, in team history – Taiwan’s Chien-Ming Wang, Japan’s Tomo Ohka, South Korea’s Sun-Woo Kim – but all were acquired after already pitching in the majors for other clubs.

General manager Mike Rizzo’s international efforts have always been focused on Latin America, with sizeable signing bonuses given to young players from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Cuba. Rizzo has never previously shown interest in competing for top Asian free agents, who in many cases cost far more in initial guaranteed money, including the posting fees sent to Japanese teams who let their stars leave for America.

Whether Ogasawara’s signing opens the door for more such moves in the future, or whether this is a rare, one-off agreement, remains to be seen.