Mack, 31, missed the first month of the 1994 season with a sore right shoulder but hit .333 with 15 homers and 61 RBIs in 303 at-bats with the Minnesota Twins. Terry Ryan, the Twins' general manager, said the U.S. major league baseball strike was a factor in the deal.
"If he goes to Japan, he's assured that he'll play," Ryan said.
"He might have agreed, but not signed," said Ryan, who offered a two-year deal with an option for 1997. "I am trying to keep him. I'd like to see him be here. I haven't been officially notified that he's signed."
Mack, a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, and Franco are the most prominent American players to leave for Japan in their prime since Bob Horner played for the Yakult Swallows in 1987.
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