On the 25th, Seibu announced that they had reached a basic agreement with outfielder Masashi Kuwahara, who had exercised his overseas free agent rights from DeNA, to join the team.
Seibu Lions General Manager Koji Hiroike commented, "Kuwabara is a popular player who has been with The BayStars since joining the team and has performed well, so negotiations were difficult, but he has always expressed his desire to become a stronger The Lions and that he needs Kuwabara's help, and I believe that his enthusiasm was conveyed, which is why we were able to reach an agreement.I am truly happy, and at the same time, I am very much looking forward to having a reliable player join the team that will help us become stronger."
Kuwahara was delayed this season due to a fractured right thumb just before the start of the season, but he mainly batted first or second, batting .284 with six Home Run and 27 RBI in 106 games. He played in over 100 games for the fifth consecutive year and contributed to the team's A-class finish for the fourth consecutive year. He was named MVP in last year's Japan Series and was instrumental in the team's first Japan Series championship in 26 years. He commented through the team, "As a player, I have seriously considered my baseball career and, after much deliberation, have decided to exercise my rights as a free agent, as I want to live my baseball career without regrets."
Seibu has been improving with young outfield such as rookie Watanabe Satoshi and first-time GG Award winner Nishikawa, but they still acquired defense strong Kuwahara. Furthermore, his annual salary this season is 120 million yen, which puts him in the B rank, requiring compensation, but General Manager Hiroike explained, "We are in a situation where we have to make a move. We want to encourage growth by bringing in a player with a proven track record."
Related News
・ DeNA's Masashi Kuwahara, who won the MVP award at the Japan Series last year, has decided to exercise his overseas free agent rights after careful consideration. "I want to live baseball life without regrets."
・ [DeNA] Masashi Kuwahara decides to exercise his free agency, becoming the second player to be ranked B and requiring compensation, following Hikaru Ito.
・ [DeNA] Masashi Kuwahara, who exercised his overseas free agent rights, will not be participating in the fan festival... Sekine will participate instead
・ Nippon-Ham 's Go Matsumoto decides to join The Giants. The Giants have signed free agents for the second year in a row, following Takuya Kai last year.
・ [Seibu] Ryosuke Moriwaki renews his contract: "The job of a professional baseball player is to pitch in the first team. I can't be discouraged by small things."
