Dayán Viciedo Retires
Former White Sox outfielder Dayán Viciedo is retiring, according to a post from Yakyu Cosmopolitan. Viciedo is currently with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He will retire after today’s game.
Viciedo defected from Cuba in March 2008 and was declared a free agent by MLB in November of that year. He signed a four-year, $10MM contract with the White Sox that December. Viciedo spent 2009 at Double-A before progressing to Triple-A and finding himself on the cusp of the Majors. He debuted for the White Sox in June 2010 at the age of 21.
Viciedo only had 106 plate appearances across 38 games that year, but he impressed with a .309 batting average and a 122 wRC+. He regressed in sparse playing time in 2011, posting a 78 wRC+ in 29 games. Viciedo finally earned a starting role in 2012 and posted his best season as a big leaguer. In 543 plate appearances, Viciedo batted .255/.300/.444 with 25 home runs and a 98 wRC+ as the White Sox’ primary left fielder. He also contributed on defense with two Defensive Runs Saved en route to an 0.8 fWAR season.
Viciedo followed that up with a near-identical .265/.304/.426 output in 473 plate appearances in 2013, missing three weeks with a strained left oblique. That was good for another 98 wRC+, although Viciedo’s defense declined slightly (-2 DRS) and tampered his overall value. The 2014 season was a bigger drop-off. Viciedo hit 21 home runs, but his overall line of .231/.281/.405 was good for just a 90 wRC+. In addition, his once serviceable defense had become a liability, with FanGraphs having Viciedo at -15 DRS between the outfield corners.
Chicago avoided arbitration with Viciedo on a $4.4MM deal in January 2015 but designated him for assignment that same month. He split that year with the Blue Jays, Athletics, and White Sox on minor league pacts, posting a 124 wRC+ at Triple-A. However, he did not make it back to the Majors.
That left Viciedo with a career output of .254/.298/.424 and 66 home runs in 483 MLB games. However, his playing career was far from over. Viciedo made the jump to Nippon Professional Baseball by signing a one-year pact with the Chunichi Dragons for the 2016 season. He immediately found success, putting up a .274/.352/.486 line with 22 home runs in 119 games and earning an NPB All-Star nomination. Viciedo followed that up with 18 home runs in 87 games for the Dragons in 2017.
The 2018-19 seasons were the peak of what will end up being an 11-year career in NPB. Viciedo batted .348/.419/.555 with a 165 wRC+ in 2018. His output that year also included 26 home runs and 99 runs batted in, both of which were career highs. Viciedo was recognized as one of the Central League’s Best 9 for his performance that year, earning himself a three-year extension in the process. In 2019, Viciedo had another excellent season, posting a 140 wRC+ and hitting 18 home runs in 143 games.
He wouldn’t quite reach those heights again, but Viciedo remained productive as he played into his 30s. He put up an OPS between .766 and .792 in every season from 2020-22, hitting a total of 48 home runs with 215 RBI in that span. The 2022 season was Viciedo’s last as a productive regular, as he batted 294/.355/.437 with a 136 wRC+ for the Dragons.
From 2023 to the present, Viciedo settled in as a part-time player. He remained with the Dragons from 2023-24 and earned his 1,000th career NPB hit in September 2023. Viciedo was the first foreign-born player in Dragons history to achieve that feat. After only playing 15 games in 2024, Viciedo joined the BayStars in 2025 and put up a 110 wRC+ in 43 games that year. He’s batted .269/.310/.385 thus far in 2026, which will end up as the final season of his career.
Overall, Viciedo ends his NPB career batting .286/.352/.457 with 1,040 hits and 142 home runs in 4,046 plate appearances. His career earnings in MLB totaled $13.3MM, followed by over $11.3MM in Japan. We at MLBTR congratulate Viciedo on a fine playing career and wish him the best in retirement.
Photo courtesy of Jerry Lai, Imagn Images
White Sox Release Osvaldo Bido To Pursue Opportunity In Japan
The White Sox have released right-hander Osvaldo Bido, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The righty is pursuing an opportunity in Japan, per Brooke Fletcher of Chicago Sports Network. Edwin Hernández Jr. reports that Bido will sign with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars.
Several clubs have been trying to pass Bido through waivers over the past year. He burned his final option season with the Athletics in 2025, which led to him riding the transaction carousel all winter and into the 2026 campaign. His first offseason waiver claim took him to Atlanta, followed by claims taking him to the Rays, Marlins, Angels, Yankees, and then back to Atlanta. A few weeks into the season, another waiver claim took him to the White Sox.
All those teams seemingly valued Bido enough to claim him but also hoped they had a chance to keep him in a non-roster capacity. The Sox have now finally succeeded in getting him through waivers but won’t be keeping Bido in the system. Teams generally don’t stand in the way of their players pursuing overseas opportunities, unless they have a better opportunity to provide.
Bido flashed some potential with the A’s in 2024, tossing 63 1/3 innings in a swing role with a 3.41 earned run average. His 10% walk rate was a bit high but he struck out 24.3% of batters faced. He also had a bit of help from the spacious ballpark in Oakland, as only 3.8% of his fly balls left the yard.
Moving to the hitter-friendly environment in West Sacramento didn’t help him. 14.7% of his fly balls cleared the fence in 2025, pushing his ERA to 5.87. That got him sent to the minors, burning his final option. Between Atlanta and Chicago this year, he couldn’t get back on track, with a 6.27 ERA.
Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball has been fairly pitcher-friendly in recent years, so perhaps a stint there is a good landing spot for Bido. If he gets back on track and puts up some good numbers, he can try to return to North American ball in the future.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes Sign Keston Hiura
The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization announced this week that they’ve signed former big league infielder Keston Hiura for the remainder of the 2026 season (link via Jee-ho Yoo of South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency). They’ve waived another former big leaguer, outfielder Trenton Brooks, in a corresponding move. Hiura drew interest from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball as well before signing with the Heroes. The GSI client will be guaranteed $400K for the rest of the 2026 season and has another $100K available to him via incentives.
Hiura, 29, was the ninth overall pick by the Brewers back in 2017. He ranked as a top prospect for years and has a huge track record in the upper minors but has struggled with high strikeout rates in the majors. He still sports a .235/.314/.442 line in the majors (101 wRC+), but the vast majority of that production came in a standout rookie showing back in 2019, when he hit .303/.368/.570 with 19 homers (and a 30.7% strikeout rate) in 348 plate appearances. In parts of five seasons since, Hiura has batted .203/.289/.381 while striking out at a 38.3% clip.
Big league struggles notwithstanding, Hiura has repeatedly shown himself to be a force against Triple-A pitching. He’s played parts of six seasons at the top minor league level and laid waste to Triple-A pitching, slashing .291/.392/.563 with 103 round-trippers, 77 doubles and five triples in 1684 plate appearances (392 games). Strikeouts have still been an issue, but not to the same level as in the majors. He’s fanned in 27.8% of his Triple-A plate appearances and drawn walks at a 10.3% clip. Hiura was drafted as a second baseman but has played more first base and left field in recent years.
Brooks, 30, appeared briefly in each of the past two major league seasons, totaling 72 plate appearances between the Padres and Giants. He hit .136/.208/.212 in that tiny sample but is a .279/.382/.472 hitter in his career at Triple-A. He struggled to find his footing in South Korea, going 31-for-143 (.217) without a homer. He’ll wrap up his Heroes tenure with a .217/.286/.259 slash.
Hiromi Itoh, Teruaki Sato Expected To Be Posted For MLB Teams Next Winter
MLB teams believe Nippon Professional Baseball stars Hiromi Itoh and Teruaki Sato will both be posted into next offseason’s free agent market, according to ESPN.com’s Jorge Castillo. Itoh is a right-handed pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, while Sato is a slugging third baseman/outfielder for the Hanshin Tigers. Both are members of Japan’s World Baseball Classic team, who square off with Venezuela today in a quarter-final matchup in Miami.
Itoh turns 29 in August, and the righty has a 2.87 ERA, 21.73% strikeout rate, and 6.17% walk rate over 828 career innings with the Fighters from 2021-25. He is the reigning winner of the Sawamura Award, which is somewhat akin to the Cy Young Award except it is only given to a sole NPB pitcher (not one each from the Central and Pacific Leagues) and it isn’t awarded every year if no pitchers are deemed worthy of the honor.
Big league pitching coaches might well be intrigued by delving into Itoh’s seven-pitch arsenal, which is highlighted by a fastball that has hit 96mph. Castillo writes that Itoh’s primary pitches amidst his seven offerings are the fastball, a splitter, and a sweeper.
The fairly modest strikeout rate could be a bit of a red flag for Major League teams, plus Itoh is relatively short at only 5’9″. Still, a talent evaluator for an American League team tells Castillo that while Itoh is “smallish,” he has a “proven track record of durability. He should continue to strike out MLB hitters while allowing very few walks.”
Castillo names Sonny Gray as a comp for Itoh, while Ryan O’Hearn is the comp for Sato. The Hanshin slugger just celebrated his 27th birthday yesterday, and is coming off a 2025 season that saw him hit .277/.345/.579 over 597 plate appearances while bopping a career-high 40 home runs. This huge year earned him Central League MVP honors, plus his fourth All-Star nod in his five NPB seasons.
Sato’s resume also includes a Gold Glove for his work at third base, which has been Sato’s primary position over the last three seasons. He played a good deal of right field in 2021-22 and also got some work back in the outfield this past season, so Major League teams could view Sato as a versatile player able to capably toggle between the two positions, if he isn’t just kept at third base.
Since both Itoh and Sato are well short of the nine full years of NPB service to achieve full free agency, the Fighters and Tigers would have to agree to make an earlier-than-expected posting in order to allow the players to test the big league market. This is maybe more noteworthy in Sato’s case since the Tigers are traditionally reluctant to post their players early. Any number of factors can go into a team’s decision-making process about when (or if) to post star players for MLB clubs, but one argument in Sato’s favor might be that he has already helped the Tigers achieve some team success — the Tigers won the Japan Series in 2023 and reached the Series again in 2025.
As a reminder, the rules of MLB/NPB posting system state that when a player is posted, he has 45 days to agree to a contract with a Major League team. If no deal is reached within that time, the player returns to his Japanese team for the next season, though he can be posted again in a future offseason. If a player does agree to a contract to head to North America, his former NPB club will earn a posting fee related to the size of the contract. The NPB team’s fee would equal 20% of the first $25MM of the player’s guaranteed Major League contract, 17.5% of the next $25MM, and 15% of anything beyond the $50MM mark.
It is possible the posting system could be altered when the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is negotiated next offseason. Changing the system would naturally require input from NPB, and given all of the other major labor issues expected to dominate the talks between the Major League owners and players’ union, the posting system is probably a back-burner issue at best.
That said, it is a virtual guarantee that the league will lock out the players when the CBA expires on December 1, resulting in a transactions freeze. Since most NPB players aren’t officially posted until at least the second half of November, Itoh and Sato would almost surely have their 45-day windows interrupted, leaving them in limbo throughout however long a work stoppage might last. Either could prefer to stay in NPB for the 2027 season in order to wait out MLB’s labor uncertainty, though it should be noted that the 2021-22 lockout didn’t deter Seiya Suzuki from making the jump to the majors. Suzuki was comfortable waiting out what ended up being a 99-day lockout, and he landed his five-year, $85MM deal with the Cubs.
The markets for this year’s crop of high-profile NPB talent might also impact Itoh and Sato’s decisions. Kazuma Okamoto landed a four-year, $60MM deal from the Blue Jays that basically matched projections, but new Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (three years, $54MM with two opt-out clauses) and new White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (two years and $34MM) had to settle for lesser contracts than expected. While obviously players are always trying to post big numbers and correct any flaws in their game, there could be some extra pressure on Itoh and Sato in showcasing themselves during the 2026 season if their hope is to land a pricey MLB contract next winter.
Tomoyuki Sugano Intends To Stay In MLB
Free agent Tomoyuki Sugano is not planning to return to Nippon Professional Baseball, per a report from Yahoo Japan (hat tip here for the translation). The report cited a recent television interview from Sugano in which he said he’s “not considering” coming back to NPB. He has connected with multiple teams and is “waiting for offers.”
The report doesn’t mention any suitors, and it also doesn’t clearly state that the teams Sugano was referring to were in MLB, but it seems like a safe assumption. With the longtime NPB hurler rebuffing the idea that he’d return to Japan after one year in MLB, he’s presumably working through negotiations with big-league clubs. The recent interview echoes the sentiments Sugano shared near the end of last season.
Sugano signed a one-year, $13MM deal with Baltimore last offseason. He posted a 4.64 ERA across 30 outings. The righty got off to a solid start, putting up a 3.04 ERA through a dozen appearances, before falling off as the season went on. Sugano had an xFIP and a SIERA in the mid-4.00s during that stretch, so regression was coming.
Never a big strikeout pitcher, Sugano struggled mightily to miss bats stateside. His 15.7% strikeout rate ranked in the 6th percentile. He had the fourth-lowest swinging-strike rate among pitchers who threw at least 150 innings. Given that Sugano had a stellar 5.3% walk rate, plenty of balls were put in play against him. Sugano ceded a hefty 11.8% barrel rate and an above-average fly ball rate. That combo is part of the reason he gave up 33 home runs, the third-most in the league.
Sugano spent 12 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants before joining the Orioles. He capped off his time in NPB with a strong 2024 that saw him go 15-3 with a pristine 1.67 ERA. Sugano pushed his low walk rate down to a miniscule 2.6% that season. He didn’t receive a ton of fanfare last offseason, but landed a decent commitment from Baltimore.
The 36-year-old Sugano boasts a six-pitch arsenal. His mix is fairly unique, as his splitter and sweeper lead the way in terms of usage. Sugano’s four-seamer averaged just 92.7 mph, but he also threw a sinker and cutter at least 12% of the time. The full repertoire resulted in an underwhelming 92 Stuff+ last season.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
NPB’s Orix Buffaloes Sign Sean Hjelle
The Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball announced this week that they’ve signed former Giants right-hander Sean Hjelle. He had elected minor league free agency at the beginning of the offseason.
Hjelle was a second-round pick out of the University of Kentucky in 2018. It’s fitting that he landed with San Francisco, as the 6’11” hurler is listed alongside Jon Rauch as the tallest players in MLB history. Hjelle’s long limbs get him good extension down the mound, albeit not quite at the level one might expect. The downhill angle leads him to generally work lower in the zone with a sinker, as he essentially doesn’t throw a four-seam fastball. He has used a sinker, knuckle-curve and cutter as his three pitches at the MLB level.
The 28-year-old Hjelle has gotten ground-balls at a lofty 56% rate over parts of four big league seasons. He hasn’t missed many bats, and the Giants moved him into a long relief role after the 2023 season. Hjelle soaked up 80 2/3 innings of 3.90 ERA ball two seasons ago but wasn’t much of a factor last year. He only made 12 big league appearances, giving up 13 runs across 15 innings. The Giants designated him for assignment around the trade deadline and sent him outright to Triple-A when he cleared waivers.
Hjelle pitched well in the minors over the course of the season. He tossed 67 2/3 frames, turning in a 3.06 ERA in the Pacific Coast League. He struck out nearly a quarter of opponents with a 55% ground-ball percentage while limiting his walks to a tidy 5.6% clip. Rather than settling for a minor league deal with a Spring Training invitation, he’ll lock in a stronger guarantee in his first move to an Asian league. Hjelle could build back as a starting pitcher in Japan.
Takahiro Norimoto To Stay In NPB, Sign With Yomiuri Giants
Right-hander Takahiro Norimoto has decided to remain in Japan and will sign with the Yomiuri Giants, according to a report from Sports Hochi in Japan. The 35-year-old had been weighing an offer from a major league club but will instead sign a multi-year deal with the Giants.
Norimoto has spent his entire 13-year career with the Rakuten Golden Eagles. After a long run in their rotation, he moved to the bullpen and has ascended to their closer role in recent seasons. The right-hander posted a 3.02 ERA with 16 saves, four holds and only two blown opportunities last year. He’s fanned nearly 24% of opponents in his career, but Norimoto’s strikeout rate dropped to 17.2% in 2025 and his fastball velocity took a dip as well, sitting around 92 mph this past year (down from his days of sitting 94-95 and climbing as high as 97-98 mph).
It’s not clear which MLB club had put forth an offer to Norimoto, nor is it clear whether it was even a guaranteed pact. It’s a moot point now, as Norimoto will pitch at least his age-35 and age-36 seasons out of the Giants’ bullpen in Japan. While it’s feasible that he could still make a late-career move to North American ball, that’s hard to envision unless Norimoto finds a way to miss more bats while working with what appears to be diminishing velocity.
In 1838 career NPB innings, Norimoto has pitched to a 3.12 ERA. He sports a 120-99 record, 48 saves, four holds, a 23.7% strikeout rate and a 6.3% walk rate in Japan’s top league. He led NPB in strikeouts for five consecutive seasons from 2014-18, whiffing 1044 batters in 958 2/3 innings (26.5 K%) during that time.
José Ureña Signs With NPB’s Rakuten Eagles
The Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball announced this week that they’ve signed veteran right-hander José Ureña to a one-year contract for the 2026 season. It’ll be the first stint overseas for the Premier Talent Sports client, who’s previously pitched for 11 major league clubs — including a whopping five teams in 2025 alone.
Ureña, 34, split the ’25 campaign between the Mets, Twins, Blue Jays, Dodgers and Angels. He logged a combined 55 innings between that quintet of clubs and worked to a 4.58 ERA. Ureña fanned just 13.9% of his opponents and turned in a 9.4% walk rate. The 96.2 mph average on his four-seamer was the second-best mark he’s posted in any of his 11 major league seasons.
For at least a couple seasons early in his career, Ureña looked the part of a nice back-of-the-rotation arm for the Marlins — his original organization. From 2017-18, he pitched 343 2/3 innings with a 3.90 earned run average, a below-average 17% strikeout rate, a solid 8% walk rate and an above-average 46.3% ground-ball rate. He obviously didn’t miss many bats, but Ureña was a hard-throwing sinker specialist who kept the ball on the ground and generally did a decent job avoiding home runs.
Things unraveled for Ureña beginning in 2019, however, and he didn’t get back on track at all until the 2024 season. While he’s posted decent bottom-line results over the past two seasons (4.06 ERA, 164 innings), the right-hander’s rate stats have continued to slip in recent years. Fielding-independent metrics like SIERA (4.89) and FIP (4.81) feel even that modest earned run average would be tough to sustain with his current rate output. And overall, dating back to 2019, Ureña has a 5.04 ERA in 514 1/3 major league frames.
Between those declining rate stats and the dizzying toll of pitching between five different teams in a single season, Ureña presumably welcomes the opportunity to have a guaranteed contract for the upcoming season. With a nice year overseas, he could position himself for another one-year pact in NPB, and if he makes some meaningful changes to his repertoire, it’s possible he’ll end up back in the major league mix next year, either on a non-roster deal or a small one-year guarantee.
Rodolfo Castro To Sign With NPB’s Nippon-Ham Fighters
The Blue Jays released infielder Rodolfo Castro from his minor league contract, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction tracker. Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports that Castro is pursuing an opportunity with the Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan.
Castro had just signed with Toronto a couple months ago. Rather than try to earn his way into a crowded infield picture as a non-roster invitee, he’ll collect a guaranteed salary and head to Asia for the first time in his career. Castro has played parts of four seasons in the big leagues. The majority of that has come with the Pirates, who traded him to Philadelphia at the 2023 deadline. He made just 14 appearances for the Phils down the stretch and has not played in the leagues within the past two years.
The righty-hitting infielder was in Triple-A when he suffered a season-ending thumb injury in 2024. Philadelphia dropped him from the 40-man roster that offseason. Castro played the entire ’25 season with their top affiliate in Lehigh Valley. He hit .235/.324/.421 with 19 homers and 18 stolen bases. Castro qualified for minor league free agency and would likely have been at Triple-A Buffalo had he not gotten the NPB opportunity.
Takahiro Norimoto Weighing Offer From MLB Team
Free agent relief pitcher Takahiro Norimoto has received an offer from a major league club, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The 35-year-old righty is weighing a move stateside but not firmly committed to making the jump. He’s also considering offers from clubs in Japan.
Norimoto has played 13 seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, all with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. A starter for most of that time, he has transitioned into the Eagles’ closer over the past two years. Norimoto has gone 48-53 in save opportunities. He posted a 3.46 earned run average in 2024 and is coming off a 3.02 mark across 56 2/3 frames last season.
Despite his decent numbers at the back of the Eagles’ bullpen, Norimoto isn’t a power arm. He hasn’t recorded a strikeout rate above 20% in any of the past four seasons. Norimoto fanned just 17.2% of batters faced against an 8.4% walk rate last year. FanGraphs writes that he sits around 92 MPH on his fastball and features an above-average splitter as his best secondary pitch. He seemingly projects as a middle reliever or depth arm at the major league level.
It’d be a surprise if Norimoto commands more than a cheap one-year MLB contract. It’s possible he explores major league interest as a leverage play in negotiations for potentially bigger money in Japan. Norimoto has nine-plus seasons of service time in his home country, so he’s an unrestricted free agent who can sign with any club in NPB or a foreign league. An MLB team would not owe the Eagles a posting fee. Feinsand notes that Norimoto is likely to decide whether he’ll make the move to MLB within the next few days.