Fukuoka Softbank Hawks left-hander Toshiya Sugiuchi took a 30 million yen pay cut Wednesday when he re-signed with the Pacific League club for an estimated 120 million yen in annual salary.
Sugiuchi had a disappointing season with a 7-5 record and a 3.53 ERA, a year after he led the league with 18 wins (four losses) and a 2.11 ERA en route to winning the MVP and Sawamura awards.
A struggling Sugiuchi was sent to the farm team in the summer and took more than a month to return to the Hawks' starting rotation.