Lotte announced on the 7th that they have notified three players, pitcher Yusuke Azuma (30), pitcher Riku Kikuchi (26), and infielder Katsumi Ishigaki (28), that they will not be offering them contracts for the next season.

Azuma joined Lotte as the second-round draft pick in 2018, and Kikuchi joined as the first-round draft pick in 2022. Ishigaki had joined from Chunichi through the active player draft.