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The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan announced yesterday that they will bring the steed back to life Drew VerHagen with a one-year contract. The Vayner Sports client first joined the Fighters on a one-year deal with a 2025 player option last winter. While he appears to have explored the options of free agency instead of the player option, he decided to return to Hokkaido anyway.
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VerHagen split the ’24 season between the Fighters and their minor league affiliate. He posted similarly solid numbers at both stops. The 34-year-old pitched 49 innings of 3.12 ERA ball at Japan’s top level and posted a 3.06 mark in 47 minor league frames. He fueled a slightly above-average 20.6% of NPB opponents against a 5% walk rate.
That was VerHagen’s third season with the Fighters overall. He pitched for the team between 2020 and 2021 and now carries a 3.44 earned run average in 256 2/3 NPB innings. During separate stints in Japan, he appeared in parts of eight MLB campaigns. VerHagen served as a long reliever for the Tigers between 2014 and 2019. He returned to the majors in 2022 for a two-season run with the Cardinals. After posting a 6.65 ERA during his first year in St. Louis, he rebounded with a 3.98 mark in a career-high 61 innings in 2023.
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