The Texas Rangers sign Japanese pitcher Kohei Arihara of the Nippon Ham Fighters to a two-year contract:

Arihara, 28, has a 3.74 ERA in six seasons with Japan’s Nippon Ham Fighters. He went 8-9 in 20 appearances for the team in 2020, with 106 strikeouts and a 3.46 ERA in 132? innings pitched.

ESPN.com

The contract is low, between $6 million and $7 million, so there is not much risk here. Arihara plays 2021 as a 28 year old, so he is still in his prime. He doesn’t seem to add much to the Rangers staff, however. Arihara’s strength lies in his low walk rate. He also allows a low number of hits compared to his K rate. Given those two positives, his 3.65 career ERA seems high. Someone who puts the ball in the strike zone without a lot of Ks might be someone who gets knocked around the majors. On top of that, he was not exactly an innings eater in Japan.

Here’s a scouting report on Arihara.