Marines reach deal with Whitesell

Chiba — The Chiba Lotte Marines signed former Yakult Swallows infielder Josh Whitesell to a one-year contract worth $300,000 on Wednesday.

The Marines hit just 46 home runs this year — the worst total among the 12 teams in Japanese baseball.

"We're expecting him to hit 30 home runs for us," Lotte team president Iekuni Nakamura said. "We hope he can spark our offense."

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