Rockies sign former Orioles starter to 1-year contract

Pitching at Coors Field has proved to be a difficult test for many who have come through the Colorado Rockies’ door. Still, somebody has to do it.

During the 2026 season, one of those pitchers will be Tomoyuki Sugano, who the Rockies have signed to a one-year deal, via Thomas Harding of MLB.com. The financial terms of his agreement are not yet known.

After 12 seasons playing in Japan, Sugano made the jump to MLB with the Baltimore Orioles in 2025. In his first 30 starts at the major league level, the right-hander held a 4.64 ERA and a 106/36 K/BB ratio. He did struggle with the long ball, giving up the third-most (33) home runs in the league during his debut. That could be a problem in the confines of Coors Field.

But Sugano now knows what to expect from MLB. He should be much more comfortable in his sophomore season. Furthermore, his numbers in Japan point to plenty of potential. Over those 12 seasons, Sugano posted a 2.45 ERA and a 1,596/352 K/BB ratio. He was named MVP of the Central League three times with the Yomiuri Giants.

Now with the Rockies, Sugano will be joining a rotation that also features players like Kyle Freeland and fellow free agency signing Michael Lorenzen. Furthermore, Colorado will be expecting former top prospect Chase Dollander to take a step forward.

Overall, things can’t get much worse after Colorado finished the 2025 season dead-last with a team ERA of 5.97. Coors Field will put the Rockies behind the eight ball in that metric most often. However, Sugano is at least hoping to at least lead Colorado a bit higher up the rankings in 2026.

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