On the 4th, Seibu Lions announced that they had reached an agreement with pitcher Mitsunari Takahashi on a contract for this season.

Hiroike, the team's general manager, commented through the team, "We are encouraged that he has chosen to play for The Lions this season despite talk of a major league contract. pitcher Kona Takahashi is a huge asset to the team. I believe he will approach the season with great determination, so we hope he will achieve his career-best results and make a significant contribution to the team's win."

Mitsunari Takahashi joined Seibu Lions as the first pick in the 2014 draft. In his first year with the team in 2015, he recorded five wins, including his first professional win, and in his fifth year in 2019, he achieved double-digit win for the first innings pitched for the first time, and from that year onwards, he reached the required innings pitched pitched for four consecutive years, pitching 175 2/3 innings in 2022. He achieved double-digit win for three consecutive years from 2021, and in 2022 he recorded a career-high 12 wins. In 2024, he pitched in 15 games, struggling with an 0-11 record and a 3.87 ERA, but last season he pitched 24 games and 148 innings, finishing with an 8-9 record and a 3.04 ERA.