On the 3rd, the Rakuten Eagles announced the departure of pitcher Roansy Contreras (26) and pitcher Chia-Hao Sung (34). Both were officially announced as free agents by the NPB on the same day.

Contreras, in his first year in Japan, appeared in 5 games (2 starts) with a record of 0 wins and 1 loss and an ERA of 6.92. Sung, a Taiwan native in his 11th year with the team, appeared in 18 games as a reliever, recording 2 wins, 0 losses, 2 holds, and an ERA of 3.07.