Veteran first baseman Justin Smoak is finalizing a deal with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The deal will guarantee him somewhere in the $6-7 million range, sources said.
Smoak, 34, will join a Giants team that won the Central League but lost in the Japan Series this past season. The Tokyo-based Giants are Japan’s oldest professional team.
Smoak, a longtime major league first baseman/designated hitter, spent last season with the Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants, with five home runs and just a .176 average between the two.
Before that, he spent five seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, including an All-Star campaign in 2017 in which he posted career highs in home runs (38) and RBIs (90).