Seibu Lions add Jesus Aguilar

 

The Saitama Seibu Lions announced the signing of Jesus Aguilar on Thursday. 

Aguilar, 33, has nearly 800 MLB games in his career spanning across 10 seasons. Most notably he won a fan vote for the 2018 MLB All Star game with the Milwaukee Brewers. 

In 2023, Aguilar started the season with the Oakland Athletics before being designated for assignment in May. He spent the rest of 2023 in the Atlanta Braves minor league system at the AAA level with a slash line of .271/.373/.379. 

With the recent loss of Hotaka Yamakawa to free agency, the Lions will slot Aguilar at the 1B position which also replaces David MacKinmon's roster spot.

On paper, he has potential to provide more pop, a Lions team who lacked power hitting had MacKinnon leading the way at 15 HRs in 2023.

By default, Aguilar becomes a core-4 player on an anemic offense and will be a critical reason the Lions will have success or falter. He's the highest paid foreigners at just north of ¥210 million with the most experience.

Home runs came at a premium and the Lions believe he can be the cleanup hitter the team was missing last year. 

The Lions also signed pitcher Jefry Yan, as the team now has five foreigners under contract joining Aguilar, Franchy Cordero and Albert Abreu.  Yan saw AAA as the highest level of baseball with some shares of dominance in AA. 

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Report: Lions sign Abreu, Cordero among new foreigners

 

The Saitama Seibu Lions announced on Thursday that they signed RHP Albert Abreu and OF Franchy Cordero. 

Abreu, 28, was part of the New York Yankees bullpen in 2023 where he pitched 59 MLB innings with a 4.73 ERA in middle relief. 

Most of his role was as a mop up duty pitcher with occasional medium leverage outings. He's capable of hitting 100 mph (161 km/h) and the Lions hope he can be a closer. Control and command are two weaknesses he will need to work on in order to have a successful time in Japan. 

He was initially part of the Houston Astros as an amateur free agent and a trading piece for Brian McCann in 2016.  Abreu also has brief stints with the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals in 2022.

Cordero, 29, was also with the Yankees in 2023, appearing in only 24 games. His career-high in MLB games for a single season is 84, with the Boston Red Sox in 2022.

According to statcast, he can make very hard contact capable of hitting "barrels".  In the last four season, his batting average hovered the Mendoza line, yet if he made contact, it could go deep as he hit eight home runs in 2022.

The Lions have missed power hitting with no one close to 20 HRs in 2023. Cordero could be a heavy boom or bust signing with no middle ground. How does he adapt to Japanese pitching? That's a question to be answered. 

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Report: Lions have stopped negotiating with David MacKinnon

 

The Saitama Seibu Lions offseason took a different turn. In a stage of negotiations, a source reports IF David MacKinnon will not return to the Lions for 2024.

MacKinnon, who will be 29 later this month, had a productive first season in Japan for the Lions with a .728 OPS and 15 HRs, which the latter led the team.  

An everyday infielder at either first or third base, MacKinnon kept his job until a brief injury took place in August. 

He became a free agent officially on December 1 when the deadline passed. Dietrich Enns and Nien Ting Wu were also designated in this category. 

General Manager Hisanobu "Nabe-Q" Watanabe made statements of being "in negotiations" with MacKinnon and his agent on reaching a contract, yet it took longer than expected.

Both sides failed to reach an agreement and MacKinnon is free to sign anywhere.

The last time the Lions let a foreign player walk in NPB free agency was Dennis Sarfate, where he was with the team in 2013, but then signed with the Softbank Hawks and finished his playing career in Fukuoka. 

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Lions retain Hirai

The Lions had other free agents to worry about as RP Katsunori Hirai filed his domestic FA option. However, it was announced on Wednesday that he will stay with the Lions on a multi-year contract. 

In 2023, he threw in 54 games with a 2.55 ERA and 28 holds.

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Wu departs Lions

In an emotional farewell, Nien Ting Wu announced his intention to return to Taiwan and play in the CPBL. 

Wu, 30, was mostly a reserve infielder and saw very few starts aside from 2016.  Despite tearing it up in ni-gun, there was no room for him at the ichi-gun level unless Sosuke Genda or Shuta Tonosaki were injured. 

He was originally a 7th round draft pick of the Lions in 2015 and his father played alongside Nabe-Q. 

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Yamakawa remains a free agent

Hotaka Yamakawa, former Pacific League MVP, filed his domestic FA option and has not found a suitor yet.

The Lions only offered him a one-year contract. In 2023, he was suspended by the team for majority of the season after alleged inappropriate sexual assault on a woman.  

He was legally cleared with no indictment, but the Lions chose not to play him for the remainder of the season as he only practiced with the san-gun unit. 

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