No, it is not 22-year-old phenom Roki Sasaki. But, another Japanese superstar pitcher has made the decision to join Major League Baseball.

Tomoyuki Sugano, one of the most decorated pitchers in Nippon Professional Baseball history, will become an international free agent this offseason, per MLB insider Jeff Passan of ESPN.

The 35-year-old Sugano, a 12-year NPB veteran with the Yomiuri Giants, can sign with whichever MLB team he wants because players who have spent more than nine seasons can bypass the posting system.

Sugano has had an illustrious career in Japan, earning eight NPB All-Star appearances, winning two Sawamura Awards (Japan's equivalent to the Cy Young), two Central League MVPs and led the league in ERA four times. However, many believed that at this stage in his career, his chance to play in MLB had passed. However, Sugano has had a resurgence this season, posting a 1.67 ERA through 24 starts on his way to what will likely be his third Sawamura Award.

In 2020, Sugano was posted and drew interest from teams cross baseball, but he did not end up signing anywhere and returned to the Giants.

What would Tomoyuki Sugano's market look like this offseason?

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There is not much precedent for what a 35-year-old rookie pitcher's free agency market would look like. However, with the recent success of fellow veteran Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga, who was one of the best pitchers in baseball this season as a 31-year-old rookie after coming over from Japan this past offseason, teams may be more willing to take a chance on a player like Sugano.

With a mind-boggling six-pitch mix and elite command, Sugano should be able to command a strong market from contending teams looking for a short-term option for their starting rotations. There are a lot of high-end arms who will be free agents this offseason that will try and command huge, long-term contracts like Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Jack Flaherty. Sugano could be a great option for a team looking for more value on a low-risk, high-reward deal.

Imanaga signed a four-year, $53 million deal with the Chicago Cubs last offseason. Using Imanaga's AAV as a framework, a realistic contract that Sugano could ask for would be a two-year, $24 million deal. However, that number could go up if teams are more willing to spend on Japanese talent given how successful players coming from the NPB have been.