Outfielder Gregory Polanco is reportedly nearing an agreement to join the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league, according to Tenchy Rodriguez of ZDeportes.
Polanco, who celebrated his 30th birthday in September, had appeared in each of the last eight big-league seasons (all with the Pittsburgh Pirates). Over that time, he batted .241/.309/.409 (94 OPS+) with 96 home runs and 98 stolen bases. His performance was worth an estimated 3.9 career Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference's calculations.
Polanco had struggled, both with his play and his health, in recent years following a seeming breakout effort in 2018. Since then, he has posted a 70 OPS+ in 199 contests. Nevertheless, CBS Sports deemed him an under-the-radar free agent of note this winter. Here's part of why we were optimistic about his chances of improving:
Last season, 49 percent of Polanco's batted balls had an exit velocity of 95 mph or harder, putting him in company with the likes of J.D. Martinez, Corey Seager, Franmil Reyes, Matt Olson, and other bonafide middle-of-the-order hitters. Impacting the ball isn't his problem so much as where he's hitting it; he's more prone to pop-ups and choppers than those individuals, reducing the potency of his quality contact. Perhaps a fresh start with a new organization will help him optimize his swing.
Assuming Polanco's deal gets done, he'll join a Yomiuri lineup that last season included former big-league players like Justin Smoak and Eric Thames.
Polanco is the latest in a string of veterans to head to a foreign league during Major League Baseball's owner-imposed lockout, joining Freddy Galvis, Yasiel Puig, and Mike Tauchman. The lockout has also had an effect on foreign players coming over: Japanese pitchers Masahiro Tanaka and Tomoyuki Sugano have both foregone opt-out clauses that would've allowed them to pursue opportunities in MLB.