◆ White Ball Ramblings 2025, No. 45
"I still want to pitch at the forefront."
Softbank of Nao Higashihama pitcher has made a difficult decision: he has chosen a new path to another team through FA (free agent, same below).
He was 35 years old and in his 13th year as a professional. It was a last-minute decision, just two days before the deadline for free agent applications.
Speaking of Higashihama, he was the ace behind the evergreen The Hawks team until at least four years ago. 2012, when he was drafted first overall by Asia University, he steadily developed into a mainstay pitcher player. ERA In the off-season of 2010, he signed a three-year contract, but his performance has been on a downward curve since then, and this season, the final year of his contract, he only appeared in seven games for the first team and finished with a 4-2 record, a season of incomplete performance.
Considering his age, it is undeniable that he is showing signs of decline, but for a veteran ace, it must be frustrating to be pushed out of the team due to their efforts to rejuvenate the team.
"The most important thing is the opportunity to play. I still want to be a starter on the first team stage," Higashihama said, explaining the circumstances that led to his application for free agency.
The team's solid pitcher staff also stood out in the Japan Series, where they defeated Hanshin Tigers to win the Japan Series for the first time in five years.
The starting lineup includes Liván Moinelo, Kohei Arihara, Yuki Matsumoto, and Koya Fujii, and the team also boasts a strong lineup of closer Ryosuke Otsu Kazuki Sugiyama, Hiroki Matsumoto, and Naoyuki Uwasawa.
In addition, in the off-season, in order to further rejuvenate and strengthen the team, the team notified Shota Takeda, Katsuki Matayoshi and other proven veterans, as well as Haruhiro Hamaguchi and pitcher, who were acquired just last year from DeNA, that they were out of the lineup. Even so, there are many promising young players such as Yugo Maeda and Haru Matsumoto, as well as promising personnel who can be expected to improve the strength of the team, such as Carter Stewart Jr. and pitcher who are coming off injury.
Regarding Higashihama, the team has declared him a free agent, leaving open the possibility that he will remain with the team, but considering his own wishes, a transfer is considered a certainty.
In recent years, transfers via the posting system have been attracting more attention than free agency.
The transfers of players such as Yakult 's Munetaka Murakami, The Giants' Kazuma Okamoto, and Seibu Lions pitcher Tatsuya Imai to the US have been a hot topic, but many of them gained the right to try their hand at the majors through posting, a system in which teams allow transfers before they become eligible for free agency.
According to some local reports, Murakami is expected to sign an eight-year contract worth $158.5 billion (approximately ¥24.49 billion), while Imai is expected to sign an eight-year contract worth $190 million (approximately ¥29.26 billion). Thanks to the success of Japanese major leaguers like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, their reputations are skyrocketing. For teams, posting, which involves a huge transfer fee, is more profitable than letting players transfer as free agents.
Unlike these few superstars, many of those who declare free agency in Japan are, like Higashihama, players who are reaching a turning point in their careers or desperately seeking playing time.
In the first place, free agency is a right given to players who have been active in the first team for many years. The condition for obtaining "domestic free agency" is to be registered with the first team for 145 days or more in one season and reach eight seasons (seven years for university and working players who joined after 2007).
This offseason, Yuya Yanagi of Chunichi, Takahiro Matsuba of pitcher and Takahiro Norimoto pitcher of Rakuten. fielder In the offseason, DeNA's Hikaru Ito catcher and Nippon-Ham and Kazunari Ishii players are believed to be exercising their rights. Many of these players are in their mid-30s in age or are declaring FA in search of opportunities to play.
From the team's perspective, acquiring free agents often requires personnel and financial compensation, but since these players have proven track records, it directly leads to an increase in the team's strength.
Abe The Giants has already stated that he will reinforce the pitcher lineup. Chunichi The list of players to be investigated includes Yanagi, who is a member of the National League, and Kenta Maeda, pitcher who has announced his return to Japan from the majors after this season. There are many other teams that are likely to come forward on the FA front, including DeNA, which is feared to lose Anthony Kay and Andre Jackson pitcher, Imai and Kona Takahashi, both aces sure to move to the majors Seibu, and Arihara, whose contract expires and is looking to challenge the majors again Softbank if he is out.
Another big question mark is the future of Hanshin Tigers 's Koji Chikamoto. He has not yet applied for free agency, so it is likely he will stay with the team on a long-term contract, but if he were to suddenly declare a change of heart, it would surely lead to a major bidding war, including with The Giants.
The free agent system calls into question a player's "market value" and also reveals the team's strategy.
So, which team will Higashihama wear next season and how will he perform? He is at a major crossroads in baseball career.
Text by Kazuo Arakawa
