"Right-hander Spencer Howard is signing with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball, according to reports out of Japan ( h/t to Yakyu Cosmopolitan). It'll be the second year in NPB for Howard, who pitched for the Rakuten Eagles this past season. Before heading to Japan, Howard spent parts of five seasons with four MLB teams."
"Injuries limited Howard to just nine starts with the Eagles in 2025. He pitched well when available, posting a 2.22 ERA across 48 2/3 innings. Howard is the second foreign signing for the Giants in the past 10 days. The club inked former Red Sox infielder Bobby Dalbec last week. They've also been linked to veteran right-hander Kenta Maeda, who finished last season in the Yankees organization."
"The 29-year-old Howard was once among the top prospects in Philadelphia's organization. FanGraphs and MLB.com both gave him the No. 1 spot in 2021. The righty had briefly debuted the year prior, making six uneventful starts in the shortened 2020 season. Howard made 11 appearances for the Phillies in 2021, pitching to a 5.72 ERA with a solid 24.4% strikeout rate but a concerning 13.4% walk rate. Philly shipped him to Texas at the trade deadline for a return headlined by veteran arms Ian Kennedy and Kyle Gibson."
Spencer Howard is signing with the Yomiuri Giants, marking his second season in Nippon Professional Baseball after pitching for the Rakuten Eagles. Injuries limited him to nine starts in 2025, but he posted a 2.22 ERA across 48 2/3 innings when available. The Giants recently added former Red Sox infielder Bobby Dalbec and have been linked to right-hander Kenta Maeda. Howard was once a top prospect in Philadelphia, earning No. 1 prospect rankings in 2021, but he struggled in MLB with a 7.00 ERA across 144 innings and a 4.77 SIERA, while moving among multiple organizations.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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