Call this the year of the recycled foreign player in Japanese baseball.

To date, the 12 Central and Pacific League teams have, for the 2006 season, signed 10 non-Japanese players who previously played for one or more other Japanese clubs.

One guy, Jose Fernandez, will be playing for his third team in Japan. The third baseman spent a year with the Chiba Lotte Marines, two with the Seibu Lions and will now work for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.