During the 2022-2023 offseason, the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Angels made a trade that moved Hunter Renfroe to the west in return for three pitching prospects. Milwaukee obtained Elvis Peguero, Janson Junk, and Adam Seminaris as part of the deal. After the 2023 season, one of those pitchers is apparently looking for a new contract to play in Japan.
Former Los Angeles Angels pitcher and current member of the Milwaukee Brewers 40-man roster Janson Junk is reportedly seeking a contract to play with a Nippon Professional Baseball team.
RHP Janson Junk is seeking a contract with NPB teams, including the SoftBank Hawks, according to his agent.
Junk, 28, is currently on the Milwaukee Brewers 40-man roster. pic.twitter.com/vHOovVnYCo
— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) January 21, 2024
Junk, who recently celebrated his 28th birthday in January, is currently part of the Brewers’ 40-man roster and holds only one remaining minor league option. In the previous season, he had limited opportunities in the big leagues, pitching only 7.1 innings. During his time in the minor leagues at the Triple-A level, he threw 140 innings with a 4.18 ERA.
Throughout his professional baseball career, Junk has primarily served as a starting pitcher. Not characterized as a high-strikeout pitcher, with a career 7.31 K:9 ratio, his ground ball rate has displayed variability over the years, making him less consistent in that regard (40.3% GB rate in 2023 and 47% throughout his career). Notably, his velocity reached 96 MPH during game action last year, leading to speculation that the Brewers might be considering transitioning him into a bullpen role.
Considering Junk’s position on the periphery of the Brewers’ major league roster, opting to play overseas, particularly on Japan’s significant baseball stage, provides him with an opportunity to showcase his skills in a different environment. It remains uncertain whether this decision is connected to the rumors surrounding his potential shift from a starter to a reliever. Nonetheless, as spring training approaches, this will be a storyline worth monitoring.