The Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball are close to a deal with outfielder Edward Olivares, according to multiple reports out of Japan and Venezuela. Olivares signed a minor league contract with the Mets last month, but it seems as though New York will be releasing (or has already released) Olivares so he can pursue this opportunity with the Osaka-based Buffaloes.
Olivares hit only .224/.291/.333 with five homers in 196 PA with the Pirates last season, playing sharing right field duty with Connor Joe and Bryan Reynolds during the first half of the season. Olivares’ final MLB appearance with Pittsburgh came on July 7, and the Pirates designated Olivares for assignment and subsequently outrighted him off their 40-man roster in August.
After making his big league debut with San Diego in 2020, the Padres moved him to the Royals at that season’s trade deadline, and Olivares has played 217 of his 285 MLB games in a Kansas City uniform. The Royals tenure was highlighted by a .270/.322/.410 slash line (106 wRC+) over 559 plate appearances during the 2022-23 seasons, with Olivares making 385 of those trips to the plate in a semi-regular role in 2023 as Kansas City’s left fielder. The outfield-needy Pirates were inspired enough by that performance to trade for Olivares in December 2023, but he couldn’t continue that production during his short time in Pittsburgh.
More recently, Olivares has been tearing it up in Venezuelan Winter League, which might well have caught the Buffaloes’ attention. Despite that deal with the Mets, it isn’t uncommon for MLB teams to simply release players from minor league contracts if the player is relatively low on the depth chart. Olivares is also out of minor league options, which would have complicated his chances of sticking in New York’s organization anyway even if he had cracked the Mets’ active roster at some point.
Olivares now looks set to start a new chapter in his career as he enters his age-29 season. He’ll join Jordan Diaz and Luis Perdomo as two of the non-Japanese members of the Buffaloes’ roster, as the Osaka squad looks to rebound from a disappointing 63-77-3 record in 2024.
He always struck me as having the potential to be an above-average hitter if given the playing time. I’m surprised they didn’t play him more in either Kansas City or Pittsburgh. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had a good deal of success in Japan.
Hope he has more success in Japan, but Pirates gave him every chance to be the regular RF last season. He looked awful in the field and regressed at the plate.
I’m not sure that 174 ABs constitutes giving him “every chance”, and it’s not like they benched him for Dave Parker. I might have played him over Bryan De La Cruz (.216 in the second half) or Connor Joe (.190).
The RF situation was abysmal, but he had 55 games played, most of them starts (and many of them where he was pulled early). He played for the first few months in a platoon but couldn’t hit enough to ignore his awful defense and he cratered in June. It hurt to see because I wanted to see him succeed, so hopefully NPB is a fresh start for him.
FA Tracker:
Orix Buffaloes- 3 MLB players signed
Seattle Mariners-0
Relegate the Mariners to the NPB league and bring up the Orix Buffaloes to Seattle.
What are you talking about? Jacob Nottingham, Yunior Marte, and Drew Pomeranz were all signed the offseason by the Mariners!!!
Jacob Nottingham has a better chance being casted in “Robin Hood Men in Tights” than making a MLB team. But you are right though. Mariners are making noise this offseason!!
If Seattle even had $40m in new money available, I’d pick them to win the division. Subtracting here to add there doesn’t feel like getting better overall. You have to win your challenge trades by a large margin to get considerably better.
Relegation would be interesting in the MLB.
Aw yes, another former Pirate heads to Asia
Pittsburgh: the new gateway to the Orient
He hit lefties really well in ‘22-‘23. Also looked like some bad luck on actual results last year with a .250 BABIP (.295 previously over his career). Also a very good .331 xwOBA against an actual .276 wOBA. That seems like way too big a gap to be some fatal flaw and not include some really poor luck given he’s never been one to have huge gaps previously in his career. I’d have guessed he’d find his way onto a roster as a weak side of the platoon guy. Glad he’ll make some guaranteed money after not finding it with a major league team this offseason.
gluck gluck gluck gluck
He’ll join Jordan Diaz and Luis Perdomo as two of the non-Japanese members of the Buffaloes’ roster, as the Osaka squad looks to rebound from a disappointing 63-77-3 record in 2024.
Two? Doesn’t baby make three?
Buffaloes making moooves!!!
Japanese baseball has tie games?
Mets better sign Alonso now that they’ve lost this guy!