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“The Next Shohei..”- Oakland Athletics Send MLB Fans Into Frenzy by Signing Japanese Upstart Shintaro Fujinami

Published 01/18/2023, 12:10 PM EST

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Oakland Athletics is one of the smallest market teams in the MLB. They are regularly at the bottom of the MLB in terms of payroll and have to find creative ways to sign players. Furthermore, they also have to be very innovative in terms of how they use their payroll.

But the Athletics have regularly found ways to add quality to their roster and even win games. Although they were one of the worst teams in 2022, they made the postseason just 2 years ago in 2020. The Athletics have been busy this offseason trying to add talent to their roster and recently announced a big signing.

The Oakland Athletics recently announced the signing of the Japanese pitching sensation Shintaro Fujinami

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The Oakland Athletics recently announced the biggest signing of their off-season so far in Shintaro Fujinami. They signed Fujinami to a 1-year $3.25 million deal that looks like a steal for a standout pitcher from Japan. The A’s recently announced the deal on their Twitter account and shared a picture of Fujinami signing his contract.

The A’s said, “Shintaro signed ✍️” and shared an image of the Japanese star signing his official contract. The deal is a low-risk one for the Athletics, as Fujinami has proven himself in the Japanese League. Furthermore, they have brought him in on a very team-friendly deal.

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Fans have reacted to the deal and a lot are optimistic about the Japanese pitcher. Many had positive reactions to the signing and look forward to seeing him play.

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It will be interesting to see the A’s new number 1 pitcher in action later this year. The Athletics still have some moves to make but Fujinami is likely to be the biggest name they sign. Furthermore, it looks like Fujinami is quite excited to make his debut. But there is one player in particular that he’s looking forward to playing.

Shintaro Fujinami is looking forward to playing against MLB Star Shohei Ohtani

Although Fujinami is looking to start his MLB career, he’s particularly looking forward to playing against Shohei Ohtani. According to ESPN, Fujinami said, “There’s no doubt about it, I’m very excited. We’re the same age. Obviously, he’s one of the best players in the world. For the Japanese fan it will be very exciting for us to play against each other.”

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Watch this story: From Aaron Judge to Rafael Devers: Ranking the biggest 2022 MLB off-season deals so far

It will be interesting to see how the clash between these Japanese stars goes. Ohtani will have a chip on his shoulder after losing the 2022 AL MVP award. But the A’s will just be looking forward to seeing their new signing perform. What do you think of the Oakland Athletics signing Shintaro Fujinami? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Written by:

Pranay Mukherjee

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Pranay Mukherjee is an MLB author at EssentiallySports. On completing his Bachelor’s in Mass Communication, he followed his passion for writing and started working as a content writer. His passion for sports has led him to sports journalism.
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Edited by:

Abhishek Kumar