January 6th: Duplantier’s deal is for $3MM, per Yakyu Cosmopolitan.
January 5th: The Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball announced the signing of right-hander Jon Duplantier. The 31-year-old will remain in Japan for a second season after spending the ’25 campaign with the Hanshin Tigers.
A former highly-regarded prospect with the Diamondbacks, Duplantier was set back by injuries. He wound up making just 19 appearances between 2019-21. A lat strain led Arizona to drop him from the 40-man roster midway through the 2021 season. The Rice product subsequently bounced around on minor league contracts with Arizona, San Francisco, Philadelphia, the Mets, Dodgers and Milwaukee without getting to the majors. The Brewers granted him his release to pursue an NPB opportunity last year.
Duplantier’s first season in Japan could hardly have gone better from a performance perspective. He struck out 32.4% of opponents against a 5.7% walk rate while working to a 1.39 earned run average. Health was again the caveat, as he was limited to 15 starts and 90 2/3 innings by a lower body injury. His numbers were impressive enough that there was some thought he could return stateside. He evidently found a superior offer to join a new NPB club instead. If he can put together a full season at anywhere near his ’25 level of production, he should be in position to command a big league contract next offseason.
Nice to see the teams in the Far East making moves at least. This offseason bites
Okay, we get it, this offseason bites and it’s boring you. You don’t have to keep letting us know in the comments.
Find something to do, go outside and enjoy life for once, that’ll help.
Glad to see you care enough to read them and it bothers you that much. Maybe instead of being a condescending keyboard warrior, you’re the one that should go outside and enjoy life and I’ll keep writing what I want to write thanks.
I have also been called a keyboard warrior. Which is why I have extra keyboards on hand.
Those sharpened ones that have a keyboard on each side of the shaft?
Not sure what you have been watching but this off season has been going a lot better than some before.
You must be referring to the Korean and Japanese leagues
Oh no it’s great. If you love the Blue Jay’s or Orioles. Everyone else is sitting on their hands with their heads up their backsides. What have the Yankees done? The Mets other than dismantling their team and getting a couple relieves. The WhiteSux have done more than the Cubs,Pirates too. Bunch of billionaires squeezing pennies.
Now they just need Joe and Mario. \m/
The Flying Whales squad
seven lakes high school legend
$3m? Good for him.
That’s a nice haul. When this guy was on, there weren’t too many relief pitchers outside of closers who were better.
The DeNA Bay Stars are pretty good and he will be treated like a champ, I’m jealous.