TBNL: Washington shops in Asia; Italy names a new boss

The public response was tepid when the Chunichi Dragons posted Shinnosuke Ogasawara in December.

The 27-year-old left-hander had spent nine years with the Dragons, going 54-72 with a 3.67 ERA over 1,098 innings of work. For someone who didn’t strike out many hitters in the NPB, there were questions about how his stuff would transfer to the major leagues. Most MLB scouts suggest he’s likely a back-of-the-rotation candidate at best.

Most of the focus on international free agents this offseason centered on Roki Sasaki but there had been virtually zero speculation about Ogasawara’s potential market until Friday, the day his posting window closed.

Ogasawara and the Washington Nationals reached an agreement on a two-year, $3.5M deal. He’ll earn $1.5M this year and $2M in 2026, while the Dragons will receive a $700,000 posting fee.

While the financial commitment isn’t significant, the signing marks the first time the Nationals have landed a player from Japan. Mike Rizzo has tried before, as MASN.com’s Mark Zuckerman reminds, but the club had yet to really establish the “meaningful relationships” with Japanese agents to get deals completed.

One of Ogasawara’s agents at WME Sports is Bryan Minniti, who was Mike Rizzo’s assistant general manager with the Nationals from 2010-14. Rizzo told Zuckerman that they expect Ogasawara to compete for a rotation spot in spring training:

Washington appears flush with starting depth right now, though only one might be a lock for the rotation. Mackenzie Gore will likely be joined by Jake Irvin but the order of arms behind them is yet to be sorted.

The club added Mike Soroka and brought back Trevor Wiliams this offseason.

There’s also DJ Herz, Mitchell Parker, and Cade Cavali to consider. Cavali has missed the last two seasons recovering from injury but is expected to come into spring camp finally healthy.

Josiah Gray could be in the mix later in the season, too, when he returns from his own injury.

Team Italy names a new manager

Italy has a poor history of success at the World Baseball Classic. They have only once advanced out of the first round of pool play.

Hall of Famer Mike Piazza was named manager of the Italian squad in 2019 with the hope that he would help turn things around for the country’s national team. Piazza’s predecessor, Gilberto Gerali, resigned when Italy failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Piazza’s tenure leading Team Italy was brief. Although they won a bronze medal at the 2021 European Championships, they once again failed to advance beyond the pool round in the 2023 WBC, going 2-3 in their five games.

Piazza was replaced on Friday, according to an announcement by the Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball (FIBS). Francisco Cervelli was named the team’s new manager.

Cervelli spent parts of 13 seasons in MLB, mostly with the Yankees and Pirates. The former catcher was a .268/.358/.382 hitter and part of the Yankees’ World Series-winning roster in 2009.

Paul Skenes card goes to auction

The 11-year-old collector who pulled Paul Skenes’ RDPA card has decided to decline the Pirates’ bounty offer and sell the card at auction. Fanatics Collect will handle the auction, which will take place in March.

The card is expected to sell for a sum in the six figures.

Fanatics Collect’s proceeds from the sale will be donated to support LA fire relief funds.

Pirates owner Bob Nutting has invited the family to a meet and greet with Skenes and the team, either in Pittsburgh or when the team visits Los Angeles.

Ippei Mizuhara claims he was “underpaid” in court filing

More details about the impending sentencing for Ippei Mizuhara are becoming known, thanks to ESPN’s Tisha Thompson.

Mizuhara submitted a lengthy letter through his attorneys to the court. The letter reportedly details Mizuhara’s gambling addiction, which he says dates back to his teenage years. He also details how he felt “underpaid” and “on call 24/7” while working for Shohei Ohtani.

Court filings showed that Mizuhara earned $85,000/year from the Angels when he first came to the US with Ohtani before receiving a raise to $250,000/year. When Ohtani joined the Dodgers, Mizuhara’s salary grew to $500,000/year.

Ohtani reportedly paid him on top of this, while also providing Mizuhara with a Porsche Cayenne.

Prosecutors are seeking a five-year prison sentence and have recommended $18M in restitution payments ($17M to Ohtani and $1M to the IRS). Mizuhara’s attorneys have asked for an 18-month sentence.

Elsewhere, around the league …

• Charlie Blackmon is going straight from the field to the front office. The Rockies outfielder retired following the end of the 2024 season and has now been named Special Assistant to General Manager Bill Schmidt. Blackmon spent his entire 14-year career in Colorado.

• The Chicago White Sox announced plans to unveil a statue of Mark Buehrle outside Rate Field on July 11. Buehrle’s will be the ninth at the ballpark — joining Nellie Fox/Luis Aparicio, Carlton Fisk, Billy Pierce, Frank Thomas, Harold Baines, Minnie Mińoso, Charles Comiskey, and Paul Konerko.

• For the most part, Nike and MLB’s City Connect jerseys were a resounding hit for most teams. While fans have liked the alternate jerseys being worked into rotation, it seems there’s another club that is giving up on them already. Washington had already previously announced that they’d retire their City Connect jerseys after last season. The Padres will now do the same after this season. San Diego’s “tequila sunrise” jerseys were among the most popular in the sport, so to see them jump off the concept so quickly feels surprising.