Los Angeles Angels, pitcher Yusei Kikuchi agree to $63M contract

Nov. 25 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Angels and free-agent pitcher Yusei Kikuchi agreed to a three-year, $63 million contract.

Sources told MLB.com, ESPN and The Athletic about the agreement Monday.

Kikuchi, 33, split last season with the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros. The Blue Jays traded the six-year veteran to the Astros in July. The left-handed starter spent his first three seasons with the Seattle Mariners.

Kikuchi went 9-10 with a 4.05 ERA over 32 appearances last season. He went 41-47 with a 4.57 ERA over his first 166 career appearances.

He will now join a rotation that features fellow left-handed pitchers Tyler Anderson and Reid Detmers, as well as Angels right-handers Kyle Hendricks and Jose Soriano.

The Angels, who lost star pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani in free agency last off-season when he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, finished last in the American League West in 2024. Their 63 regular-season wins were their fewest for a 162-game season in franchise history.

Angels starting pitchers posted the worst ERA (4.97) and allowed the third-most runs (499) in the American League last season. They also issued an American League-high 329 walks and totaled the fourth-fewest strikeouts in MLB.

Angels hitters hit just .229 in 2024, the third-worst batting average in MLB. They also scored the third-fewest runs in baseball. Angels pitchers and catchers are set to report to spring training in mid-February in Tempe, Ariz.