Franmil Reyes suited up for four different organizations across six seasons during his time in MLB. He is best known for his time with the Cleveland Guardians and San Diego Padres, where he experienced most of his success.
From 2018 to 2019 he suited up for the Padres and posted an impressive .266 batting average, .326 on-base percentage and .844 OPS along with 43 home runs and 77 RBIs across 186 games.
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Reyes was eventually moved to the Guardians, where he spent four seasons as one of the more productive hitters in their lineup before struggling in 2022, leading to his release. He then had short stints with the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals before heading overseas after the 2023 season.
Reyes has found considerably more success in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, and as a result he is nearing a historic deal with his team, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
“According to my sources, Franmil Reyes is getting quite close to signing a contract with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, and if it happens, it could become the highest-paid historic deal for a Latin American player in history,” wrote MLB reporter Mike Deportes on X.
速報: 私の情報筋によると、フランミル・レイエスは日本ハムファイターズとの契約締結にかなり近づいており、実現すればラテンアメリカ出身選手として史上最高額の歴史的な契約になる可能性があります。🇯🇵⚾️#Japan #FranmilReyes pic.twitter.com/SAuFN0VaoX
— Mike Rodriguez (@mikedeportes) August 25, 2026
The deal makes sense given what Reyes has accomplished in Japan. Across 347 games in the NPB, he has posted a .294 batting average, .357 on-base percentage and .903 OPS with 84 home runs and 225 RBIs. Given that level of sustained production, he likely could have earned another shot in MLB, but has instead chosen to stay overseas and continue building his legacy in Japan.
The NPB is widely recognized as a highly competitive league, generally considered somewhere between Triple-A and MLB in terms of talent level. For Reyes to thrive at that level the way he has is a big accomplishment, and a historic contract would be a fitting reward for everything he has built there.
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