It was a move that Rays fans saw coming from miles away. Simply checking social media after each loss, comments sections were filled with so many replies calling for Yoshi to get cut. His career numbers along with 26 games this year were abysmal. Still not being able to even hit above .200, the ongoing narrative of him being able to turn things around and show that true potential he had as a fearsome slugger in Yokohama had obviously been tired out.
The 77 games Tsutsugo played will always frustrate the heck out of me for what could’ve been. The main part of what made him so frustrating to watch was because of how smart of a hitter he was. From the moment the Rays first gave him that two-year deal, they knew they were getting power along with an intelligent hitter. In Japan, he was consistently at the top of the leaderboards for home runs but he was also ranking incredibly high in on-base percentage. The Rays knew they had a guy who even if the power didn’t translate fully in MLB, still had the necessary on-base skills to fit the mold of a prototypical Ray. But alas, he wasn’t drawing as many of those walks as we thought he could. He was always good at racking up a 3-2 count a lot of times he was up but what was fearsome about a below .200 hitter to the opposing pitcher and why would he pitch around him? He never did get those walks, therefore. He would usually get blown away by velocity he looked like he wasn’t adjusting to at all and walk back to the dugout. So, the success never did come as the Rays’ front office had to bite the bullet on his contract; a move I’m sure pained them more than we know.
Honestly, though, it must’ve been an incredibly difficult transition for Yoshi. Having to come to live in a new country amidst a global pandemic, and play in a 60 game season where he had no time to get used to MLB pitching… the number of transitions he had to deal with was all a bit too overwhelming. I think if Yoshi was given that contract with no pandemic, a proper full season, and a bit of breathing time to adjust to having to uproot his career he could’ve possibly flourished. Ultimately though, the Rays made a signing at the worst time possible, as new international players during a 60 game season weren’t ever going to have the proper development time.
On Saturday, the Rays announced that they traded Tsutsugo to the Dodgers in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. He is still owed roughly $5.49-Million of his original $7-Million salary for the 2021 season, and Los Angeles will cover slightly more than $430-Thousand — the prorated share of the minimum salary. That means Tampa Bay will eat the roughly $5-Million remaining of Yoshi’s salary.
Noteworthiness
— The team also announced that right-handed reliever Hunter Strickland has been dealt to the Angels for cash considerations or a player to be named later in return. The move cleared a spot on the 26 and 40 man rosters for Ji-Man Choi (arthroscopic knee surgery), who was activated from the Injured List yesterday.
Strickland joined the Rays on a minor league contract over the winter and held his own during his short stint in Tampa Bay after being promoted in early April. Strickland bounced back from a rough two years divided among the Mariners, Nationals, and Mets to perform to a 1.69 ERA (and a less spectacular 3.76 SIERA) across 16 frames. He posted a 2.66 K/BB as a Ray.