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. After the meeting, Rakuten Eagles GM Kazuhisa Ishii spoke with the press. He did not pre-announce the highly anticipated first-round pick, stating, 'We have narrowed down the first-round choice to some extent. The final decision will be made tomorrow.'

Regarding the number of candidates for the first-round pick, he explained, "There are 12 candidates for the first-round pick. That is because we will be selecting one person out of those 12." He also mentioned that the plan is to select around six players in total for the developmental roster. "Rather than focusing heavily on a specific position, we would prefer to pick players evenly and with good balance. Within that framework, we have to consider various factors," he said.

If the first-round pick results in a tie, a lottery will be held. Potential candidates for drawing the lots include Manager Yoshii, GM Ishii, and Team President Morii. Manager Yoshii is currently struggling with a three-game losing streak from his time managing Lotte. GM Ishii said with a wry smile, "I think it would be good if Yoshii-san drew it, but he keeps losing," and added that a decision is expected to be made on the day, saying, "I don't know yet, but I hope it's decided tomorrow."

With no public announcements from any of the teams so far, the situation has become an unusually 'secret draft' for recent years. The narrowing down of first-round candidates and strategic maneuvering will continue right up until the start.