The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to take full advantage of the new playoff format and be a contender in 2022 after a very promising campaign last season. And on Saturday, they strengthened their already talented rotation even more.

Per Jon Heyman, the Blue Jays have signed Japanese lefty Yusei Kikuchi to a three-year, $36 million deal:

Toronto's rotation already consists of Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Alek Manoah, Hyun Jin Ryu, and potentially flamethrower Nate Pearson. That's a lot of talent and now they add Kikuchi to the mix. The southpaw actually turned down a $13 million player option from the Seattle Mariners prior to the lockout, but his decision paid off.

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The 30-year-old, who came over to the big leagues in 2019 from Japan, was relatively effective in 21′. He posted a 7-9 record and 4.41 ERA, striking out 163 batters in 157 innings en route to being named an All-Star. The now Blue Jays starter was certainly better in the first half, but nonetheless, he boasts effective stuff and shows the ability to get outs on a consistent basis.

It's also nice for the Blue Jays to get another left-hander in their starting rotation. After his best year yet in the Majors, let's hope Yusei Kikuchi can improve even more in 2022 with Toronto as they look to make a serious push in the always competitive AL East.