MLB Twitter reacts to Marwin Gonzalez signing with Japan’s Orix Buffaloes: “It’s time to retire”, "Red Sox got outbid again”

After 11 major-league seasons, Marwin Gonzalez is taking his talents to Osaka. After a woeful 2022 season, the journeyman outfielder/utility player has agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan's top league, Nippon Professional Baseball.

The Buffaloes, who split their games between Osaka and Kobe, Japan, won the NPB championship in 2022 as 33-year-old Gonzalez's MLB stardom faded drastically.

While Marwin Gonzalez had many big moments with a handful of teams, the New York Yankees were not exactly one of them. Last year, Gonzalez hit just .185 in his first and only season with the Yankees. While the team has an opening in left field, Gonzalez was not going to be the one to fill it — even at just $1.5 million for 2023. That said, New York fans are sending him off with a Bronx cheer.

Fans of some teams that have not fared so well this offseason took the Gonzalez news as an opportunity to twist the knife with the clubs that have made this the winter of their discontent.

Apparently, Marwin Gonzalez signing with the Buffaloes is just another case of the rich getting richer — Japan style.

And, of course, any news coming out of the Big Apple not having to do with possible New York Mets shortstop Carlos Correa meets with some predictable responses.

Marwin Gonzalez helped bring Houston Astros a World Series championship

Marwin Gonzalez #9 of the Houston Astros scores in the 2017 World Series.

Marwin Gonzalez's once-solid major-league career has taken a decided turn for the worse over the past handful of seasons.

Gonzalez debuted with the Houston Astros in 2012. His career improved, as did Houston's fortunes. While he was never to be confused with an MLB superstar, Gonzalez put together a series of solid offensive seasons while displaying a versatility that saw him play capable defense all over the infield and outfield.

His best season came in 2017, when he finished 19th in the National League MVP voting while helping the Astros win their first-ever World Series championship.

Gonzalez hit .303 that year, with a career-best 23 home runs and 90 RBIs in 134 games. He played six positions that season, logging at least two games in every spot on the diamond except pitcher, catcher and center field.

However, Gonzalez's statistics never approached those levels again. He signed a two-year contract with the Minnesota Twins in 2019, then moved on to the Boston Red Sox in 2021. Boston cut him that same season, and he finished out the 2021 campaign back in Houston before signing a one-year deal with the Yankees for 2022.