Nippon Professional Baseball draft

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles have issued notifications that pitchers Shota Watanabe, Kosei Koga and Hyo Ishihara, along with Toshiya Dai, Daiki Irie and Kyosuke Kaneko, are being released from the club. Japanese sports outlet Nikkan Sports reported the moves, which came as part of the team's off-season roster decisions ahead of the free agency and draft period.

Japanese fans are searching whether outfielder Shoki Oda of Yokohama High could head to the Los Angeles Dodgers instead of joining Nippon Professional Baseball. The Yomiuri Giants took him in the draft, but an MLB commentator said he is '100 percent' not going straight to MLB, predicting any move could involve offers from teams like the New York Yankees. Draft graders gave the Giants' bold pick a score of 65.

Nippon Professional Baseball has announced that the active player draft will be held on December 9, with new rules changing which players are excluded from this year's event. Japanese sports media are also focusing on how the current draft generation is faring, with reports that several players from the 10/12 class could be released or leave their clubs, highlighting the harsh reality facing recent draftees whose standing has shifted in four years. Postseason Climax Series coverage, including Seibu vs. Nippon-Ham, is running alongside.