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Former Padres' Outfielder Signs Record Japanese League Contract
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- Former Padres' Outfielder Signs Record Japanese League Contract
(USA TODAY Sports)
The start of the 2019 MLB season brought with it a renewed sense of excitement and optimism for the San Diego Padres and their fan base. After eight consecutive losing seasons, they announced their intent to return to relevancy with the signing of free-agent third baseman Manny Machado .
Machado's arrival was coupled with the promotion of 20-year-old shortstop prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. , who would go on to finish third in the NL Rookie of the year voting.
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Though the Padres would finish 70-92 and in a distant fifth place in the NL West, 36 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, Machado and Tatis laid a foundation that has since resulted in five playoff appearances in the seven seasons between 2020 and 2026, including a franchise best three in a row.
Another player who many might have thought would be a long-time Padre was rightfielder Franmil Reyes, who had hit .280 with an .838 OPS, 16 home runs and 31 RBIs in 87 games after he was recalled from Triple-A El Paso in mid-May in 2018.
Reyes did not disappoint in 2019, hitting .255 with an .849 OPS courtesy of 27 home runs in just 99 games, though he was still having trouble making consistent contact with 93 strikeouts to that point after recording 156 whiffs inn 2018.
Then, just like that, he was gone.
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On July 31, the day of the 2019 MLB trade deadline, he was shipped to the then-Cleveland Indians with pitcher Logan Allen and minor-league infielder/outfielder Victor Nova as part of the three-team trade involving the Padres and the Cincinnati Reds that would net San Diego minor-league outfielder Taylor Trammell.
The seven-player trade was considered a blockbuster at the time as it also saw outfielder Yasiel Puig and starting pitcher Trevor Bauer head from Cleveland to Cincinnati.
Reyes would hit 10 home runs for Cleveland and have a 30-homer, 85-RBI 2021 season with the franchise, but by August of 2022 he was waived and claimed by the Chicago Cubs, and after 14 HRs and 47 RBIs combined, with a .221 average and .638 OPS, he signed with the Kansas City Royals in 2023 before he requested and was granted free agency after only 19 games in May 2023.
That appeared to be the last we would hear from Franmil Reyes until Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors reported on Monday that he had signed a four-year, $40-million contract extension with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham-Fighters of the Nippon Professional League in Japan, which makes him the highest-paid player in the NPB's history.
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In three seasons playing in Japan, Reyes has hit .294 with a .906 OPS and a combined 59 doubles, 89 homers - including 32 apiece in 2025 and 2026 - and 237 RBIs. He still does strikeout a lot, with 319 in 363 games, but also draws his share of walks (132).
After five playoff-less seasons before his arrival, he has helped carry the Fighters to consecutive appearances in the NPB's version of the League Championship Series, and now it appears the 31-year-old Reyes will have four more seasons to help the Fighters chase an NPB championship.
