Released by the Twins two months ago after agreeing to forfeit the final $3.25 million of his contract, Tsuyoshi Nishioka has returned to Japan by signing a two-year contract with the Hanshin Tigers.
Nishioka was a huge bust in Minnesota, hitting .215 with a .503 OPS while playing terrible defense at both shortstop and second base, and spent most of his two seasons on the disabled list or at Triple-A.
However, before signing with the Twins he was a star in Japan, winning the batting title and a Gold Glove award during his final season there, and Nishioka returns at age 28. His contract is reportedly worth 600 million yen, which is the equivalent of around 7.5 million dollars. If that’s accurate, Nishioka will make more in Japan than he would have in America.