The Chunichi Dragons announced Wednesday the acquisition of Dominican left-handed pitcher Joely Rodriguez, who parted ways with a Baltimore Orioles minor league affiliate earlier this month.
The 26-year-old reliever previously played for Triple-A Norfolk this season, posting a 5-3 record with a 4.56 ERA in 33 games. He exercised an opt-out clause in his minor-league contract with the Orioles before accepting a deal to play in Japan.
With the Dragons, he will be earn an annual salary of ¥30 million ($270,000) in addition to performance-based incentives.
Rodriguez pitched in 38 major league games for the Philadelphia Phillies over the 2016 and 2017 seasons and has a fastball that exceeds 150 kph.
