On November 3rd, catcher Takuya Kai, whose cash trade from The Giants to the Rakuten Eagles was announced on October 30th, held a press conference at Rakuten Mobile Saikyo Park. His number was decided as '37', which was previously worn by Motohiro Shima.

Before the press conference, Kai, who went out to the ground to greet fans and players, expressed his aspirations, saying, 'I am excited. I want to play baseball soon. I want to run around the ground. Both the team and I are hungry for victory. I want to do whatever it takes to win.' Regarding his number, he tightened his expression and said, 'Shima-san is a senior I respect. I feel the weight of it,' and spoke powerfully, 'I want to play baseball until the very end, until the Japan Series.'

Kai exercised his domestic free agent rights in the 2024 off-season and joined The Giants with a large-scale five-year contract totaling 1.5 billion yen (estimated amount). In his first year after joining, he played in 68 games as a main player until he was sidelined by a fracture in his right middle finger, but this season his appearances plummeted to only 13 games. While he was seeking more opportunities to play, he took the transfer to the Rakuten Eagles—who valued his extensive track record and experience—positively, stating, 'I want to firmly deliver what is expected of me. I hope I can repay them.'

Rakuten Eagles' main catcher Ota, who appeared in 100 games this season, has announced his intention to exercise his domestic free agent rights. The hard-hitting YG Yasuda is primarily used at first base, so his appearances as a catcher have been limited. Although the team selected two ready-to-play catchers in the draft, including first-round pick Watanabe (Aoyama Gakuin University), the lack of depth and the absence of an absolute field general remained issues.

Takuya Kai. Born November 5, 1992, in Oita City. 33 years old. Joined the Softbank Hawks as the 6th pick in the 2010 developmental draft from Yoshikan High School. Promoted to the active roster in November 2013. In addition to being a three-time Best Nine selection and a seven-time Golden Glove Award winner, he was the 2018 Japan Series MVP and a member of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics Best Nine. 170 cm, 87 kg. Right-handed thrower and batter. This season's salary is 300 million yen (estimated).