Mets sign outfielder Norichika Aoki to major league deal

The Mets have signed outfielder Norichika Aoki to a major league contract, and he’ll join the team in Houston today and wear number 11. Aoki has been a major league since 2012 and split his time this season between stints with the Astros and Blue Jays. In total, he’s hit .274/.319/.402 with five home runs in 258 plate appearances this year. That’s good for a 92 wRC+, a few notches below his career norms.

Before this season, Aoki had hit slightly above league average, measured by wRC+, in each of his five seasons. He spent the first two with the Brewers, the third with the Royals, the fourth with the Giants, and the fifth with the Mariners. So he’s played in plenty of places despite being a perfectly decent hitter. He has typically walked nearly as often or more often than he has struck out, though his strikeout rate is more than double his walk rate this season.

The 35-year-old will turn 36 over the offseason, and he’s under team control for one more year if the Mets decide to tender him a contract this winter. He and the Astros settled upon a $5.5 million salary before the 2017 season began.