The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on Monday announced the acquisition of free agent Jonny Gomes on a one-year deal worth ¥200 million.
The 35-year-old outfielder, who batted 162 home runs in 13 major-league seasons, helped the Tampa Bay Rays win their first American League East Division title in 2008 along with infielder Akinori Iwamura.
Gomes was also teammates with right-handers Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa as the Boston Red Sox won the World Series in 2013, when Gomes went deep in the fourth game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
"I hope he (Gomes) can play with plenty of fighting spirit at the heart of the order," said Eagles team director Hiroshi Abei.