Reds Outfielder Signs In Japan

He possesses tremendous power, but has only managed to hit above .200 once in his four seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. Now 28-year-old Dominican outfielder Aristides Aquino will give it a shot in the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan, signing with the Chunichi Dragons.

OF Aristides Aquino has signed with the Chunichi Dragons of NPB on 1-Year $1.2 million, plus bonus 300K. pic.twitter.com/vsBoUmb1wM

— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) November 27, 2022

It's a one-year, $1.2M deal for Aquino, as reported by Hector Gomez, with a $300,000 bonus. 

The Reds designated him for assignment earlier this month to get down to their preferred 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 Draft. 

Aquino hit .197 this season with a .609 OPS and an equally untenable OPS+ of 63 (meaning he was 37% worse than the average player in OPS). He hit 10 homers with 30 RBIs in 259 at-bats.

The Santo Domingo native burst onto the scene with the Reds in 2019, showing off his prodigious power with 19 HR in just 56 games, with an .891 OPS. But he was never able to re-capture that magic in the three seasons since, OPS'ing in the 600s on average, with no more than 10 homers in a single year. 

He'll try to rebuild his value by launching some of his mammoth blasts in the Nippon league. 

Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports