The Hiroshima Carp have signed right-hander Freddy Tarnok and re-signed infielder Elehuris Montero to contracts for the 2026 season, the team announced. The terms of Tarnok’s deal aren’t known, but Montero will receive $1.25MM (broken down as a $750K salary and $500K signing bonus) plus incentives.
Tarnok has appeared in 11 games over parts of three Major League seasons, with five of those games coming with the Marlins in 2025. Signed to a minor league deal last offseason, Tarnok had his contract selected to the 40-man and active rosters in June, and he posted a 2.45 ERA over 7 1/3 innings amidst several options back and forth from Triple-A and the majors. The righty struck out 35.7% of batters during his small sample size of MLB work, but also had a 14.3% walk rate.
To some extent, Tarnok’s increasingly shaky control and his ability to miss bats has been the story of his minor league career, which consists of stops in the farm systems of the Marlins, Phillies, A’s, and Braves. Tarnok has a 4.08 ERA over 161 innings at the Triple-A level, starting 28 of those 65 games as he has been used more frequently as a reliever in recent years.
The move to Japan might well give Tarnok another chance to re-establish himself as a starting pitcher. Tarnok is just two days away from celebrating his 27th birthday, so he’s plenty young enough to post some good numbers with the Carp and perhaps get himself back onto the radar for big league teams as early as next winter. If nothing else, signing in NPB will land Tarnok some guaranteed money, whereas he would’ve very likely had to settle for another minor league deal from a Major League team.
Montero hit .228/.277/.387 over 739 plate appearances with the Rockies from 2022-24, and is perhaps best known as part of the trade package the Cardinals sent to Colorado for Nolan Arenado prior to the 2021 season. Montero’s first season in Hiroshima saw the 27-year-old hit .255/.301/.391 with nine home runs over 396 PA as the Carp’s regular first baseman. While not huge numbers for a first base bat, Montero seems to have done enough for the Carp to pursue a reunion.
Always like Tarnok and was a little disappointed the Braves traded him. I think he will put up solid numbers in NPB.