Yuki Matsui, Japanese reliever, signs with Padres

\n\n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:”https://twitter.com”,”thumbnail_url”:null,”type”:”oembed”,”width”:550,”contentType”:”rich”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”Matsui posted a 2.40 ERA over 10 seasons in Japan with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Across the past three seasons, as he shifted to a one-inning relief role, he registered a 1.42 mark with 214 strikeouts in 152 innings pitched, making him one of the most dominant relief pitchers in NPB.\n\n“Obviously a great track record of really consistent excellence,” said Padres general manager A.J. Preller. “This nine- or 10-year run out of the bullpen, he’s been one of the best closers in the game. … It’s three pitches — fastball, split, slider. He’s been just very consistent in terms of getting outs, getting strikeouts.””,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”* Here’s why Yuki Matsui’s stuff could baffle MLB hitters“,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”**What are the Padres getting?** \nMatsui is certainly unique, in both his stature and his arsenal. An undersized left-hander at just 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, Matsui misses bats with his plus splitter. He pairs it with a high-spin fastball that sits between 92-94 mph and tops out at 96. Matsui also offers a slider as a third offering.\n\nThat combo helped Matsui strike out 32.4% of the batters he faced last season. One point of concern, however, may be Matsui’s penchant for walks. Even with his solid 5.9% walk rate in 2023, his career mark is 10.9%. (For reference, the MLB-average walk rate this past season was 8.3%.)\n\nStill, Matsui has been as dominant as any Japanese reliever for most of the past decade. Omit his age-18 debut season, which contained Matsui’s only 17 starts, and his career ERA drops to 2.10. The 28-year-old Matsui was a multi-inning reliever for the majority of his NPB career, but he has operated as a one-inning arm for the past three seasons.”,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”OEmbed”,”html”:”

The magic of Matsui ???? pic.twitter.com/aXehw38fro

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) December 23, 2023

\n\n\n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:”https://twitter.com”,”thumbnail_url”:null,”type”:”oembed”,”width”:550,”contentType”:”rich”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”**Where does Matsui fit?** \nTough to say at this point, considering the Padres are almost certainly destined to add more pitching. But he’s at least in line for a high-leverage role.\n\n“Somewhere at the back part of the game,” Preller said, when asked for Matsui’s fit. “We’ll see how the ‘pen unfolds and what other options come up this offseason. But he’s a guy that could pitch anywhere late in the game … a guy that’s shook hands at the end of games as a closer.”\n\nWhen Josh Hader hit free agency, right-hander Robert Suarez was the internal favorite to fill…