Rakuten infielder Hiroto Kobukata attended contract negotiations at Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi on the 1st and signed a contract for an annual salary of 85 million yen, a 5 million yen reduction (all amounts are estimates). This season, he played in 124 games, but mostly served as a pinch runner or defense replacement, and for the first time in his sixth year, he did not reach the required number of at-bats, with only 357 at-bats, his lowest total. His batting average was .217.

He said, "The team evaluated defense and base running highly," but added, "I hardly played in any games in the second half, so it was a very frustrating season. After all, you can't play in games if you don't hit, so I was sitting on the bench with a lot of thoughts." During the off-season, he will increase the amount of time he swings the bat while working on how to use his body and finding a swing that suits him. He wrote "Win!" on an autograph board, saying, "I put into it my desire to win games, and also to win the competition to secure a position." He is determined to make his presence felt and not be outdone by the rise of younger players.