On the 23rd, Rakuten Eagles announced that they had acquired pitcher Chiharu Tanaka (25) as compensation for pitcher Takahiro Norimoto (35), who moved to the Yomiuri The Giants as a free agent. Tanaka joined The Giants in the 2022 draft as the third pick from Kokugakuin University. He had a record of 2 wins, 3 losses, 3 hold, and an ERA of 4.91 in 33 appearances.

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Tanaka Sen has great potential and is expected to add depth to the relief corps as a valuable, authentic right-handed pitcher.

Rakuten Eagles acquired pitcher Kenta Maeda, Loancy pitcher, and Jose pitcher this offseason. They focused on strengthening starter, which was a major weakness last season. The number of starting pitchers has increased significantly.

Last season, reliever pitcher Shoma Fujihira, Masaya Nishigaki pitcher Naoto Nishiguchi, pitcher pitcher Sora Suzuki outstanding pitch stability, making the relief corps one of the team's greatest strengths.

This season, however, there are concerns about the depth of its relievers. Sho Suzuki underwent surgery last October for thoracic yellow ligament ossification, a nationally-designated incurable disease, and his start to the season is uncertain. Nishiguchi may switch to the starting lineup. The other pitcher were waiting for the emergence of other .

With a fastball exceeding 150 km/h and a sharp-dropping fork, Tanaka Chihiro has the potential to become a major asset in his new team.