Are all members of "Japanese Job" escaping? Hiroshima Aces will use FA and three players will transfer teams at the same time, which may be the first time in history

Bed field wide tree. (File photo, taken from Sankei Sports)

[Sports Center/Comprehensive Report] Following the Hiroshima Star pitchers Nobuhito Morishita and Shogo Sakakura, Hiroshima’s ace pitcher Hiroki Toda will also exercise his domestic free agent (FA) rights in Japan today. If three players transfer to teams at the same time, it will be the first record in Japanese professional history.

The 31-year-old left-hander Hiroki Onoda was selected by Hiroshima with the third pick in the 2016 draft. He was promoted to the first team for the first time the following year and gradually established himself in the starting rotation in 2019. He won 11 games in a single season in 2023 and 2024. He played 23 games this season, accumulated 8 wins and 6 losses, and an ERA of 2.76. He has pitched the required number of innings for 4 consecutive years. In his career, Todo has accumulated 65 wins and 59 losses, with an ERA of 2.96.

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Hiroki Toda obtained the domestic free agent (FA) rights in Japan in April this year, with an estimated annual salary of 185 million yen. According to the salary ranking of Japanese professional players, he is expected to be classified as an A-level player. If other teams successfully recruit him, they will need to pay compensation or provide player compensation. Currently, many Japanese professional teams have launched investigations to evaluate the possibility of recruiting him.

According to "Nikkan Sports", three players from the same team used FA in the same year. The last time was the SoftBank Hawks in 2011. This was the first time in the history of the Hiroshima team. If all three players are eventually transferred to other teams, it will be the first time in history since the introduction of the FA system in 1993. The Hiroshima team has listed Kaito Kozono as a free contract player. Together with Nogohito Morishita, Shogo Sakakura and Hiroki Toda, the team may have up to four main players leaving the team.

In addition, Hiroshima reached a deal with SoftBank today. SoftBank will transfer the 35-year-old right-hand pitcher Higashikata to Hiroshima in a free transaction. He won the Western League winning pitching title in 2017 and helped SoftBank win first place in Japan. He pitched a no-hitter in 2022 and accumulated 76 wins and 46 losses in his career, with an ERA of 3.30.