Polanco was viewed as a potential foundational player for the Pirates last decade, but a combination of injuries and declining plate skills prevented him from fully realizing his stratospheric offensive upside. The 31-year-old outfielder batted .240/.306/.457 with 24 home runs and two steals in 484 plate appearances over 138 games last season for the Yomiuri Giants and will remain overseas in Japan for the 2023 campaign.

Hector Gomez of Z101 Digital reported back in mid-December that Polanco was "very close" to an agreement with a team in Japan, and now the Tokyo-based club has made it official here on January 5. The 30-year-old former top prospect slashed just .191/.261/.345 in 157 games with the Pirates between 2020-2021. He was released by Pittsburgh this past August and finished out the year with the Triple-A affiliate of the Blue Jays.

Polanco was released by the Pirates this past August, having slashed just .191/.261/.345 over his last 556 major league plate appearances dating back to the beginning of the 2020 season. He did then latch on with the Blue Jays but played out the string at Triple-A Buffalo. The 30-year-old former top prospect will now apparently try to resuscitate his career in Nippon Professional Baseball. Look for something more official soon.

Polanco was officially released by the Pirates on Saturday, about a week after being placed on outright waivers. The 29-year-old former top prospect has batted just .203/.270/.364 in 199 games (723 plate appearances) since the beginning of the 2019 season. He'll be a free agent this winter.