On December 11, 2007, to much fanfare and excitement in Chicago, Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Cubs. He was widely thought to be the best hitter in Japan's major leagues at the time, and a couple of other teams were reported to have bid more than that for him; Fukudome wanted to be the Cubs' first Japanese player.

He hit a three-run homer in his first MLB game and became a fan favorite -- until he started wearing down late in seasons. Though he drew a fair number of walks and had a .369 OBP in his Cubs career, he never hit for much power, averaging 12 home runs for the Cubs until they traded him to the Indians in mid-2011.

Fukudome apparently liked Chicago enough to buy a flashy lakefront condo there; in order to stay in Chicago, he signed with the White Sox. That part of his career ended Friday; a White Sox news release about the disabled list move of Philip Humber also stated:

The White Sox also returned Kosuke Fukudome from his injury rehabilitation assignment at Charlotte, reinstated the outfielder from the 15-day disabled list and designated him for assignment.

Fukudome didn't play much or hit much as a fourth outfielder for the White Sox, with a .171/.294/.195 line in 51 plate appearances. But his Chicago career is summed up well in this tweet from Cubs beat writer Paul Sullivan:

Sox designate Fukudome for assignment. He only cost $1 million though, not $48 million.

— Paul Sullivan (@PWSullivan) June 22, 2012

Fukudome is 35 and his disappointing MLB career is probably over.