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International Transactions: 1/5/21

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The latest on former big leaguers signing abroad…

  • The Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League have signed left-hander Felix Doubront, the team announced.  Best known for his solid performance as a starter for the 2013 world champion Red Sox, Doubront posted a 4.89 ERA over 513 2/3 innings for the Athletics, Blue Jays, Cubs, and Red Sox from 2010-15, with 98 of his 118 MLB games coming in a Boston uniform.  Doubront missed all of 2016 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and has since pitched for Oakland’s Triple-A team, the KBO League’s Lotte Giants, and two Mexican League clubs.

International Transactions: 12/27/20

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The latest international signings involving former big leaguers:

  • The CTBC Brothers of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League are nearing an agreement with right-hander Gabriel Ynoa, reports Daniel Kim of ESPN (Twitter link). The 27-year-old saw action in parts of three big league seasons with the Mets and Orioles, tossing a career-high 110.2 innings for Baltimore in 2019. Ynoa has a career 5.39 ERA and a matching FIP in his big league time. He spent last season with the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball but posted only a 10.13 ERA in 24 innings at Japan’s highest level.
  • The CPBL’s Wei Chuan Dragons announced the signings of right-handers Junichi Tazawa, Jake Brigham and Drew Gagnon, as well as utilityman Rosell Herrera (h/t to CPBL Stats). Tazawa was once a notable set-up piece in Boston and logged eight big league seasons between the Red Sox, Marlins and Angels. Brigham’s MLB experience consisted of 12 games with the 2015 Braves; he’d spent the past four seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization. Gagnon threw 35.2 innings of 7.32 ERA ball with the 2018-19 Mets before heading to the KBO last season. Herrera played for the Reds, Royals and Marlins in 2018-19 and hit .225/.286/.316. As an expansion franchise, the Dragons are allowed five foreign-born players next season instead of the customary three. (Right-hander Bryan Woodall signed as the fifth foreign player).

International Signings: Alcantara, Overton

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A pair of former big leaguers have signed with teams in Asia over the past few days.

  • Right-hander Raúl Alcántara is joining the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball, per a team announcement. The 28-year-old will be making his first trip to Japan’s highest level; he has spent the past two seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization. After posting solid but unspectacular numbers with the KT Wiz in 2019, Alcántara found a new gear this past season. Over 198.2 innings with the Doosan Bears in 2020, he worked to a 2.54 ERA with 8.2 K/9 against 1.4 BB/9. That earned him the Choi Dong-Won Award as the KBO’s top pitcher and sufficiently impressed the Tigers to bring him aboard. Alcántara’s big league experience consists of 46.1 innings of 7.19 ERA/7.45 FIP ball with the 2016-17 Athletics.
  • One of Alcántara’s former teammates in Oakland, Dillon Overton, also secured a job overseas. He signed with the Rakuten Monkeys of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League, the club announced. A former A’s second-rounder, Overton combined for a 9.13 ERA/7.74 FIP across 47.1 MLB innings with Oakland and Seattle from 2016-17. The 29-year-old southpaw spent the 2018-19 seasons in the high minors with the Padres but didn’t make it back to the highest level. This will be his first season in a foreign pro league.

CPBL’s Fubon Guardians Sign Hector Noesi

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Right-hander Hector Noesi has signed with the Fubon Guardians of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, the team announced.  (Hat tip to the CPBL Stats page.)  Apple Daily was the first to break news of the agreement, and media outlet EToday reported that Noesi will earn roughly $500K for the 2021 season.

Noesi is a veteran of six MLB seasons, tossing 395 1/3 innings with four different teams (mostly the White Sox and Mariners) from 2011-15 before resurfacing with the Marlins in 2019.  Noesi posted an 8.46 ERA over 27 2/3 innings with Miami, bringing his career Major League resume to a 5.51 ERA, 1.89 K/BB rate, and 6.4 K/9 over 423 total frames.  Noesi signed a minor league deal with the Pirates last winter but chose to opt out of the 2020 season.

In between being let go by the White Sox and returning to the Marlins, Noesi spent three seasons in the KBO League, so he already has some significant experience pitching outside of North American baseball.  Noesi had 3.79 ERA, 3.22 K/BB rate, and 6.6 K/9 over 582 1/3 innings (all as a starting pitching) for the Kia Tigers, so this could provide some idea of what Noesi can bring to the Guardians heading into his age-34 season.

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