Nippon-Ham announced on the 3rd that they have finalized a trade between pitcher Haruki Miyauchi (30) and catcher Toki Hiwatari (21) of Chunichi. This is the first time that two developmental players have been traded.

Miyauchi joined Nippon-Ham in 2022 as the sixth pick in the draft. A right-handed sidearm pitcher who throws over 150 km/h, he appeared in 15 games for the first team in his rookie year in 2023 and also recorded his first professional win. However, in November of that year, he underwent surgery to reconstruct his left anterior cruciate ligament and was diagnosed with an eight-month recovery period before returning to the game. Since then, he has gone through three development contracts and return to the main roster, and was currently aiming for his fourth main roster contract.

Upon the announcement of the trade, Miyauchi commented, "Thank you to all the fans for your support over the past three and a half years. I am also grateful to everyone involved with the team for their support. I wasn't able to pitch in the first team very often, but the cheers from the fans during those few appearances gave me a lot of strength. I will not forget what I have done with The Fighters and will do my best to contribute to win with The Dragons, so I would be happy if you would continue to support me."