Juan Francisco, who opted out of a minor-league contract with the Rays rather than go to Triple-A, has now agreed to a deal with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan.
It’s a one-year deal reported to be worth around 140 million yen, which is equivalent to about $1.2 million.
Francisco has elite power, smacking 48 homers in 1,091 plate appearances as a big leaguer, but his extreme strikeout rates and inability to hit left-handed pitching limit his offensive upside and his poor defense further limits his all-around value.
At age 28 he’s a career .226 hitter with a .297 on-base percentage and .439 slugging percentage in 404 games for the Reds, Braves, Blue Jays, and Brewers.