Aristides Aquino's deal with Nippon Professional Baseball justifies Reds' decision

If a 36.6% strikeout-rate and .246 on-base percentage weren't enough to justify the Cincinnati Reds' dismissal of Aristides Aquino, the fact that he had to settle for a deal overseas with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball certainly does.

MLB Insider Jon Morosi reported the signing and fellow insider Héctor Gómez gave us the contract details. Aquino's deal will be worth up to $1.5M.

Aquino, often referred to as The Punisher because of his immense power in the batters' box, had been designated for assignment by the Reds earlier this month.

Aristides Aquino's deal with NPB justifies Reds' decision.

After a tremendous month of August in 2019, it looked as though Aristides Aquino would become a key piece of the Cincinnati Reds heading into the future.

But the Reds added two outfielders to the roster the following offseason, and a combination of injuries, decreased playing time, and decreased performance saw The Punisher become little more than defensive substitution late in games from 2020-2021.

Last season, however, after refusing to sign Nick Castellanos to a long-term contract and trading Jesse Winker prior to Opening Day, it looked as though Aristides Aquino would finally get that extended look in the outfield.

Unfortunately, Aquino failed to impress and was DFA'd early in the season. After playing very well at Triple-A, Aquino was given a second chance. When Aquino connects, it's loud. The problem is, Aquino was rarely able to make contact and struck out nearly 4 out of every 10 at-bats.

The .197/.246/.363 slash line last season led to Aquino's departure despite the fact he posted 20 defensive runs saved in 2022 per Fielding Bible. The fact that Aquino was unable to find another major leauge team to pick him up off waivers proved that Cincinnati made the correct call.

The move to NPB will give Aquino the opportunity to re-establish himself, as several major league players who've struggle are able to find success overseas. Here's hoping we see The Punisher back in the big league very soon.