On the 21st, the Rakuten Eagles held a scouting meeting in Tokyo to prepare for the '2026 Professional baseball Draft Conference supported by Lipovitan D' on the 22nd. Following the meeting, GM Kazuhisa Ishii spoke with the press. He did not pre-announce the highly anticipated first-round pick, explaining, 'We have narrowed it down to some extent. The final decision will be made tomorrow.'

Last year, three teams announced their first-round picks in advance, with The Giants selecting Takemaru, Hiroshima selecting Tateishi, and Seibu Lions selecting Kojima as their top choices, but this year, as of the 20th, two days before the draft, no team had publicly announced their first-round pick.

With Yokohama's Shoki Oda pitcher, a candidate for the first-round pick, announcing his intention to challenge American baseball on the 15th, the situation has become an unusual 'secret draft' in recent years. It is expected that each team will continue to narrow down their first-round candidates and engage in strategic maneuvering until the very last moment.

The team has been struggling at the bottom of the standings this season. They intend to strengthen the roster through a meticulously prepared draft strategy.