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Blue Jays: Former reliever Tyler Chatwood heading to Japan for 2022

By Tyson Shushkewich

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 11: Relief pitcher Tyler Chatwood #34 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the bottom of the sixth inning of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 11, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 11: Relief pitcher Tyler Chatwood #34 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the bottom of the sixth inning of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 11, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images) /
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After a rough 2021 campaign, it appears that former Blue Jays relief pitcher Tyler Chatwood will be heading to Japan to join the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in the Nippon Professional Baseball league. A report by Sports Hochi earlier today is reporting that the Hawks are set to acquire/sign Chatwood for next season with no financial terms currently known at this time.

Signed by the Blue Jays during the 2020/2021 offseason, Chatwood joined the Blue Jays relief corps and had a rollercoaster of a campaign, struggling to find consistency on the mound.

He started the year as one of the club’s top bullpen arms, failing to surrender an earned run until his ninth appearance on May 5th but had some very rough outings later in the season, yielding four earned runs later that month against the Tampa Bay Rays and five earned runs in early June against the Houston Astros. He also irked the fanbase with his attitude after being pulled with the bases loaded in that same game against the Rays, earning the loss in the process.

Chatwood would be designated for assignment at the trade deadline and later released by the club.

Former Blue Jays reliever Tyler Chatwood has reportedly agreed to a contract with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in the Nippon Professional Baseball League.

The right-hander would finish his Jays’ career with a 5.46 ERA through 30 appearances with 32 strikeouts and a 1.513 WHIP and17 earned runs through 28.0 innings pitched. After being released by the Blue Jays, the San Francisco Giants signed him to a minor league deal but he continued to struggle, appearing in only two outings and yielding six hits and three earned runs through 4.0 innings before finishing the year on the injured list.

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By heading to the NPB, Chatwood could potentially move back to the rotation, a role he occupied until 2019, or could remain in the bullpen as he attempts to establish himself in the NPB. He joins a Hawks team that finished fourth in the Pacific League standings with a 60-62 record last year and joins former Blue Jays infielder Freddy Galvis who signed with the Hawks earlier this offseason.

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