Prodigious Home Run Hitter Set to Take His Power to Japan

Prodigious slugger Franmil Reyes, who has played in the big leagues for the Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals, is set to head to Japan to continue his career.

The following comes from MLBTradeRumors:

Franmil Reyes is on the verge of officially signing with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball, according to multiple reports out of the Dominican Republic.

That's the same organization in Japan that Shohei Ohtani played in before coming to the United States.

Still just 28 years old, Reyes will try to get his career back on track after a disastrous last two years.

Reyes hit 30 home runs with 85 RBI during the 2021 season with Cleveland and then his numbers took a drastic downturn. He hit just nine homers in 2022 with Cleveland before being designated for assignment, was picked up by the Cubs and hit five more.

In 2023, he played just 19 games for the Royals before being let go and he spent some time in the Nationals' minor league system but didn't last long there either. He last played a game in affiliated ball back in July.

Given his age, it's reasonable to suggest that Reyes could make a return to the States. If he plays well, there could be teams calling for his services in 2025.

He made his major league debut with the Padres back in the 2018 season. His best year was in 2019 when he hit 37 combined homers between San Diego and Cleveland.