loading

  About 6 minutes reading time.

Foreign Player Signings in Japan This Winter

 Yuri Karasawa  |    Dec 22nd, 2024 5:19pm EST

As Major League Baseball fans eagerly follow the buzz surrounding Nippon Professional Baseball superstars like Roki Sasaki and Tomoyuki Sugano making the jump to stateside baseball, the flow of talent heading in the opposite direction also deserves attention. Many foreign players have already signed with NPB organizations this offseason, bringing new talent and excitement to the Japanese scene.

Of course, these incoming players often see Japan as a chance to revitalize their careers or to advance their development in what is widely regarded as the second-strongest league in the world. Meanwhile, some established NPB foreigners have also been on the move, switching teams and sparking intrigue about how their transitions might impact the league’s playoff picture in 2025.

Here are the official NPB foreign player signings this winter as of December 22:

Central League

Yomiuri Giants: OF Trey Cabbage, RHP Raidel Martinez (former Chunichi Dragons)

Hiroshima Carp: 1B Elehuris Montero, OF Sandro Fabian, RHP Johan Dominguez

Yakult Swallows: RHP Mike Baumann, RHP Peter Lambert

Chunichi Dragons: UTL Jason Vosler, LHP Kyle Muller

Hanshin Tigers: RHP Jon Duplantier, RHP Nick Nelson, IF Ramon Hernandez

Pacific League

Nippon-Ham Fighters: RHP Ruei Yang Gu Lin

Lotte Marines: RHP Tayron Guerrero, LHP Bryan Sammons

Seibu Lions: 1B Leandro Cedeno, RHP Emmanuel Ramirez

Rakuten Eagles: RHP Spencer Howard, RHP Miguel Yajure (former Yakult Swallows)

Orix Buffaloes: IF Jordan Diaz

Giants Make Big Moves

Coming off a disappointing early exit in the postseason, the reigning pennant-winning Yomiuri Giants have had a very active offseason with the signings of former SoftBank Hawks catcher Takuya Kai and Rakuten Eagles (and New York Yankees) legend Masahiro Tanaka. On top of that, they’ve brought in former Chunichi Dragons closer Raidel Martinez, who led the CL with 43 saves, and Trey Cabbage, who played in 45 MLB games for the Houston Astros last season.

Martinez will immediately form a potentially historic one-two punch in the back end of the bullpen with star-stopper Taisei. The pair are arguably the top two relievers in Japan, and manager Shinnosuke Abe will now have the difficult task of relegating one of them to the setup role. Martinez has a career 1.71 ERA and 10.2 K/9, while Taisei has a 2.18 ERA and 10.7 K/9. Cabbage, 27, is viewed as a replacement for fellow outfielder Coco Montes, who joined the team midway through 2024 but was not re-signed. The Knoxville native has posted a .811 OPS in nine minor league seasons.

Kyle Muller: Breakout Candidate?

Kyle Muller was one of the Atlanta Braves’ top prospects before being shipped to Oakland in a three-team trade involving Sean Murphy in 2022. He struggled mightily in his first year with the Athletics, only managing a 7.60 ERA in 21 games. He rebounded with a much more palatable 4.01 ERA and 3.96 FIP in 2024 but was outrighted from the team’s 40-man roster after the season. Now, he heads to Nagoya to begin a new chapter in his career with the Chunichi Dragons.

A 6-foot-7 lefty with a high slot, Muller will give Japanese hitters an unconventional look and will have a chance to pitch out of the starting rotation straight away. With a fresh set of eyes on him from the Dragons coaching staff, Muller hopes to take the next step in his development and break out like former KBO star Erick Fedde or fellow southpaw Foster Griffin, who will likely receive interest from MLB clubs after successfully revitalizing his career with the Yomiuri Giants. Muller joins utility man Jason Vosler as Chunichi’s new imports this winter.

Fighters Secure Taiwanese Star Ruei Yang Gu Lin

The signing has gone largely unnoticed in the West, but reigning Chinese Professional Baseball League MVP Ruei Yang Gu Lin is among the highest-impact players to enter NPB in recent years. Coming off a career-best season with a 1.66 ERA and 10.8 K/9, the 7-Eleven Uni-Lions posted the right-hander to NPB, and he agreed to a three-year pact with the Nippon-Ham Fighters.

The 24-year-old only features a three-pitch mix, but his low to mid-90s fastball and impressive splitter should enable him to crack the Fighters rotation immediately. Having dominated international competitions like the Asia Baseball Championship, Gu Lin can become a burgeoning star in Japan should he make the proper adjustments.

 

Carp Place Three-Year Bet on Sandro Fabian

The Hiroshima Carp signed Dominican outfielder Sandro Fabian to a three-year contract worth $5.8 million, showing significant investment in a player who has yet to step foot on a Japanese field. Multi-year contracts for foreign players are rare unless the player has a track record of success in NPB, which Fabian clearly does not, but the deal signals the team’s willingness to let the 26-year-old develop and gradually mold his game to Japanese baseball.

Fabian’s pedestrian 99 wRC+ in AAA Round Rock last season suggests he may have trouble adjusting to NPB early on. Still, the Carp appear to be more concerned about seeing progress and getting better returns in years two and three. His above-average defense in all three outfield spots also gives him a higher floor. Fabian will be joined by fellow countrymen Elehuris Montero, a former slugging prospect for the Colorado Rockies, and hard-thrower Johan Dominguez in Hiroshima next season.

Leandro Cedeno, Miguel Yajure Find New Homes

First baseman Leandro Cedeno, who signed with the Orix Buffaloes in 2023, and his Venezuelan compatriot Miguel Yajure, who made 22 starts for the Yakult Swallows last season, will remain in NPB with new organizations.

Cedeno’s departure from Orix came as a slight surprise as he made improvements this past season and put up a 127 wRC+ with 15 long balls in 98 games. Unfortunately, he also struck out at a 29.0% clip. With his contract not picked up for 2025, the 26-year-old joined the Seibu Lions and will now have an opportunity to prove himself on a club with an anemic offense with a .575 team OPS last season. He is expected to see time at first base and DH, as Jesus Aguilar did not live up to expectations despite being presented as an upgrade to David MacKinnon last offseason.

Yajure had a solid start to his NPB career with the Swallows, even throwing a Maddux in late April, but didn’t find enough consistency as the season went on. He finished the year with an underwhelming 96 ERA+ and 15.3 K%, leading to his release at the season’s conclusion. Luckily for the 26-year-old, the Rakuten Eagles, in desperate need of all the pitching help they could find, quickly scooped him up. With Masahiro Tanaka and Cody Ponce out the door, Yajure is very likely to factor into the team’s rotation in 2025. He joins former Philadelphia Phillies prospect Spencer Howard as a Tohoku newcomer.

author avatar
Yuri Karasawa
See Full Bio

Category: World Baseball Network

Tags: ,