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Former Chicago Cubs first baseman/outfielder Bryan LaHair is nearing an agreement to play in Japan for the SoftBank Hawks, according to Patrick Newman of npbtracker.com who passes on word from Sanspo:
Sanspo: Softbank close to an agreement with Bryan LaHair. sanspo.com/baseball/news/…
— Patrick Newman (@npbtracker) November 21, 2012
The Cubs designated LaHair for assignment yesterday as a corresponding roster move following their acquisition of Barret Loux from the Texas Rangers in exchange for Jacob Brigham. After the transaction was announced it was reported that LaHair was expected to sign and play in Japan.
LaHair received the full-time shot he’d been waiting his entire career for last season in Chicago. The 30-year-old made the most of it, getting off to a red-hot start and posting strong enough numbers that he was named an All-Star. LaHair would cool off over the second half of the season and was forced to move to the outfield in favor of top first base prospect Anthony Rizzo. Over 340 at-bats he hit .259/.334/.450 with 17 doubles and 16 home runs.