Right-hander has signed with the Chunichi Dragons of Japans Nippon Profe sional Baseball, according to multiple reports out of Japan, including from . He had signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in November but the Dragons paid the Ms a release fee, per . Romero also reports that Marte will make $1.25MM this year and could add another $200K via incentives. Mart, 30, pitched for the Giants and Phillies over the past three MLB Liam Hendriks Jersey seasons. He threw 113 1/3 innings over those three campaigns, allowing 5.64 earned runs per nine. His 20.1% strikeout rate and 10.3% walk rate were both a bit shy of average but his 47.8% ground ball rate was quite strong. That included a rough 6.92 ERA with the Phils in 2024, which prompted that club to put Mart on waivers at the end of the year. He pa sed through unclaimed, elected free agency and signed a minors pact with the Mariners. MLB clubs generally dont stop players from pursuing opportunities in foreign leagues, so the Ms have let Mart go, collecting a release fee in the proce s. Despite the tepid results, Mart has an intriguing arsenal. His four-seamer and sinker have both averaged between 96 and 98 miles per hour in his career. He has also thrown a slider, changeup, cutter and splitter. Had he stayed in North America, he would have had a challenging path to a notable role. He is out of options and has le s than two years of service time. Even if he earned a roster spot at some point, he might not have kept it for long. Even if he did cling to a spot for a while, he has not yet qualified for arbitration and likely would have earned a salary near the $760K league minimum. By heading overseas, he locks in a higher salary right away and will likely get a longer opportunity to bounce back from a trying season. If he can take a step forward in his new environment, he can try to return to North American ball in the future or perhaps parlay his results into a new contract with the Dragons or another Asian club. Jason Varitek Jersey