It was decided on the 30th that the Rakuten Eagles will acquire 33-year-old catcher Takuya Kai from The Giants through a cash trade.

Kai exercised his domestic free agency rights during the 2024 offseason while with the Softbank Hawks and moved to The Giants on a large-scale contract totaling 1.5 billion yen over five years (estimated amount). In 2025, his first year with the team, he was sidelined in August due to a fracture in his right middle finger, but he showed his presence in both offense and defense, recording a .260 batting average, 4 Home Runs, and 20 RBI in 68 games. This season, he has appeared in 13 games with only 3 starts as a catcher. His opportunities to play have decreased as Oshiro and captain Kishida have primarily taken the starting catcher roles.

This season is the second year of a five-year contract. The contract with The Giants was set to remain until 2029. This will be a trade transfer during the contract period, which has few precedents.

Rakuten Eagles' main catcher Ota has acquired domestic free agent (FA) rights and has already expressed his intention to exercise them. The heavy-hitting YG Yasuda has mostly been used at first base, with his appearances as a catcher being limited. The experienced Hikaru Ito and Ishihara have been released. Although the team drafted ready-to-play catchers Watanabe (Aoyama Gakuin University) and Hagiwara (Toshiba), the lack of depth and the absence of an absolute field general remained issues. They have decided to address these weaknesses by acquiring the highly experienced Kai.

A hard worker who rose through the ranks after joining the Softbank Hawks as the 6th pick in the 2010 developmental draft. He experienced four consecutive Japan Series championships starting in 2017 and contributed to world titles at the 2019 Premier12, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and the 2023 WBC. This cornerstone of the defense, possessing a winner's mentality, is coming to the City of Trees.

Takuya Kai. Born November 5, 1992, in Oita City. 33 years old. He converted from an infielder to a catcher at Yoshikan High School and joined the Softbank Hawks as the 6th pick in the 2010 developmental draft. His draft class included Yuki Yanagita (2nd pick), Kodai Senga (4th developmental pick), and Taisei Makihara (5th developmental pick). He was registered as a regular roster player in November 2013 and made his professional debut on June 7, 2014, in a game against Hiroshima at Mazda Stadium. He has been selected for the Best Nine three times and has won seven Golden Glove Awards. He was the 2018 Japan Series MVP, a member of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics Best Nine, and a representative for Japan in the 2023 WBC. He stands 170 cm tall and weighs 87 kg. He is a right-handed thrower and batter.