A pair of now-former New York Yankees are headed to Japan.
Outfielder Franchy Cordero has signed a deal with the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball, his agency Republik Sports announced Thursday on Twitter. Relief pitcher Albert Abreu signed with the Lions on Wednesday, according to FanSided's Robert Murray.
While the Yankees non-tendered Abreu at the start of the offseason, they had outrighted Cordero to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Both are now leaving the organization, electing to continue their careers overseas rather than trying to tough it out in the minors.
Cordero came up as a top-10 prospect with the San Diego Padres before getting dealt to the Kansas City Royals in 2020. He was then one of four players sent to the Boston Red Sox when they traded away Andrew Benintendi in 2021.
The left-handed slugger failed to catch on in Boston, and he signed with the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent last winter. The New York Yankees took a flier on Cordero when he hit the open market again in March, but they buried him in the minors after a disappointing spring.
Cordero is a .217 hitter with 27 home runs, 87 RBI, 13 stolen bases, a .678 OPS and a -0.7 WAR in 251 career major league games. The 29-year-old hit .284 with an .806 OPS in the minors, though, showing potential for him to succeed again in Japan.
Abreu joined the Yankees organization when they traded catcher Brian McCann to the Houston Astros in 2016. He made his MLB debut in 2020 and got some more action in 2021 before getting flipped to the Texas Rangers and then Kansas City Royals in 2022.
After hitting waivers that summer, the Yankees brought Abreu back into the fold. He closed out a successful 2022 with a 3.26 ERA and 0.4 WAR in 33 appearances, despite entering that season with a 5.68 ERA and -0.2 WAR in 30 career outings.
Abreu couldn't keep it up in 2023, though, posting a 4.73 ERA and -0.2 WAR. While he was consistently available out of the bullpen – ranking fourth on the team with 45 appearances – the 28-year-old missed the final month of the season with a hamstring injury.
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