The Tokyo Yakult Swallows have acquired Dean Green, a U.S. minor league infielder, on a one-year contract worth ¥50 million (about $460,000) plus incentives, the Central League baseball club said Monday.
Green has no experience in the big leagues, but Masayuki Okumura, the Swallows' deputy international director, said the 27-year-old American has just as much power as Yakult slugger Wladimir Balentien, if not more.
Earlier this month, the Detroit Tigers said they had sold Green's contract to the Swallows.
The left-handed hitter has spent the bulk of his career in Double-A, where he batted .304 with a .368 on-base percentage and a .481 slugging average. He hit a career-high 23 home runs in 476 at-bats split between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo this year.
Meanwhile, Yakult extended its contract with Josh Lueke by a year, re-signing the right-handed pitcher for ¥75 million. Lueke appeared in 69 games this past season, his first in Japan, and posted an ERA of 3.06 in 64⅔ innings with no decisions.