Rakuten Eagles pitcher Naoto Nishiguchi (29) attended contract negotiations at Rakuten Eagles Mobile's home stadium on the 23rd and signed a contract for an annual salary of 50 million yen, an increase of 35 million yen (all amounts are estimates). Having recovered from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in September 2011, he pitched in 52 games, all as reliever, with a record of 3 wins, 1 loss, 1 save, 31 hold, and an ERA of 1.07, supporting the relief corps. He was also selected for Samurai Japan and pitched in a friendly match against the South Korean national team in November. Looking ahead to next season, Nishiguchi stated, "My goal is to pitch in the situations I'm entrusted with," but also expressed his determination to aim for a spot as a starter, saying, "I've been saying since last year that I want to try my hand at being a starter."

He said he has been working towards becoming a starter since his rehabilitation, and said, "It's not a turning point, but I think the exhibition games will be a crucial moment," and intends to show his aptitude in actual games and aim to enter the starting rotation. While focusing on his most confident fastball, which he said "feels more powerful after the surgery," he also expressed his intention to increase the proportion of his curveballs, saying, "Variations in speed will be very important." He is already in starting mode. First, he will appeal to the management from camp and contribute to the team in a different way than this season.