The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball announced they’ve signed right-hander Roansy Contreras for the 2026 season. The Rep 1 Baseball client had been on the Rockies’ 40-man roster. Colorado announced this afternoon that he was being released to pursue an overseas opportunity, dropping their roster count to 38.
Contreras is a former top pitching prospect who has spent parts of five seasons in the big leagues. He was a key part of the Pirates’ return from the Yankees in the Jameson Taillon trade and found a bit of early success out of the Pittsburgh rotation. Things went off the rails in the 2023 season, though, and he has bounced around as a journeyman reliever over the past few seasons. Contreras has pitched for four clubs over the last three years. He owns a 5.48 earned run average across 149 1/3 big league frames in that time.
The 26-year-old spent most of this past season in Triple-A in the Baltimore system. Contreras started 14 of 28 outings for their top affiliate in Norfolk, working to a 3.73 ERA despite a middling 17.8% strikeout rate in 91 2/3 innings. Baltimore called him up at the end of August but put him back on waivers after one appearance. Colorado claimed him for the final month of the season. Contreras gave up eight runs over 8 1/3 innings before suffering a season-ending hand contusion.
There’s a decent chance the Rockies would have pushed him off the 40-man roster this offseason. He’s out of options, so even if he held the roster spot all winter, he would’ve needed to win a bullpen job out of camp or be placed back on waivers. It’s understandable he’d rather take the guaranteed payday and try his luck in Japan rather than battle for low-leverage work at Coors Field. Contreras is young enough to be an interesting MLB free agent a couple years from now if he misses more bats in NPB.
He is only 27 years and 6 days old, yet it seems like he’s been in MLB for a really long time.
26 years and 6 days
it seems like it because he’s bounced around like a superball ( this is a reference to an actual ball from my childhood that bounced uncontrollably on its own)
Better to make decent money in Japan then bounce around AAA and MLB get claimed like 4 or 5 times and deal with that process.
Maybe he makes it back gets some good money or stays in Japan/Korea making a few million and having a good life in the Dominican after Kind of how Mel Rojas jr did. He never played in MLB but still made millions in Japan and Korea.
Mel Rojas Jr. Is a name i haven’t heard in years. Guy hit more Home Runs in the KBO in 2020 than he hit his entire career in the minor leagues here
Looks like he’s replacing Miguel Yajure in Rakuten’s staff