On the 14th, Nippon-Ham and Hanshin Tigers announced that an exchange trade had been completed involving catcher Fushimi Torai and pitcher Shimamoto Hiroya.

Fushimi transferred as a free agent from Orix, who had been champions of the league for consecutive years, to Nippon-Ham who were in last place, in the offseason of Orix In his first year with Nippon-Ham, he never played in a season in which he played in more than 100 games, but there is no doubt that he has led the young pitcher of Nippon-Ham, including Fukuya Yamazaki, who has been his battery partner since his time with Sachiya Yamazaki, as well as Hiromi Ito and Kota Tatsu.

Until now, the team has had an experienced veteran in Fushimi, but the expectations and burden will be placed on the young and middling players, including Yua Tamiya who has worn the mask in 73 games, the most of any player on the team this season. Tamiya has had the most opportunities to play among the young and middle catcher ranks. defense He is expected not only to be a good player, but also to be able to hit catcher, and next season will be an important year for him both offensively and defensively.

There is also Yuya Shindo who made his presence felt in the final stages of the season. He played 13 games as a catcher this season, but on September 27, when Tatsu started for Lotte, starting line-up he donned the mask and led shutout game win the team. Tamiya and Shindo, as well as catcher, infield, outfield and Yuya Gunji who can play utility roles.

While Nippon-Ham has many young players overall, when the team is on a roll, they can go all out. Even though they have experience, it remains to be seen whether they can rebuild the team with the young and mid-level players at the core when the team's performance declines. The trade involving Fushimi has certainly forced the young and mid-level players to play with even more awareness than they do now. It will be interesting to see how the Fushimi trade plays out next year.