The Sluggish Giants will Get Unexpected Big Names to for Reinforcement that are not Seibu Mori or Hanshin Nishi

The Giants have hardly had a good season.

They have been on a losing streak for four consecutive months since May, and as of September 19, they are in fifth place with a debt of 4.5 billion yen. The team’s defensive rating is the worst in the league, and its batting average is the fifth-worst in the league, so it may even fall to the bottom of the standings.

If they fail to win the championship for the third consecutive season, it would be the first disgrace since Yoshinobu Takahashi in 2017. Manager Tatsunori Hara is not in good spirits. He told the press in a low voice: “Now is the time for us to work hard. This is the time to show our strength. I think the players are well aware of that. We have to break through somehow.”

Last offseason, owner Juichi Yamaguchi declared, “We will not take any FA players, but will strengthen our strength by raising the level of foreign players and young players,” and that he would nurture and discover new players. However, the young players have not developed well and the foreign pitchers didn’t perform well. This off-season, I think the Giants will change their policy and use their abundant financial resources to aggressively acquire FA players.

The current Giants are full of reinforcements. The Giants have already begun to search for a new catcher, a starting pitcher who lacks stability, and a reliever who can’t hold a lead.

The first thing to do is to make sure that you have the right equipment and the right people to help you. The Giants have Sho Nakata, a senior at Osaka Toin High School and good friend, and Mori has told people that he respects coach Shinnosuke Abe as a ‘catcher who can hit. The Giants will probably offer him a multi-year contract.

Relief candidate is Rakuten’s left arm

Rebuilding the pitching staff is also an urgent task.

One of the candidates who is likely to get the nod is Hanshin’s Yuki Nishi. Nishi has been in a lot of trouble, as reported by the Weekly Bunshun during the declaration of the state of emergency in July 2020, when he was suspected of having a secret affair across the prefecture. As for Hanshin, they are leaving the FA declaration to his own will.

A candidate for reinforcement for relievers would be Rakuten’s Wataru Karashima. Although he is a modest pitcher, he is a utility player who can play both as a starter and a reliever. He is a valuable left-handed pitcher, and I think he would come in handy in the Giants’ pitching staff, which lacks depth at all positions.

(Sports newspaper reporter) An unexpected big-name player is also said to be in the mix.

Yoshitomo Tsutsugo (currently playing for the Blue Jays), who was released from the majors for the third time in August. His timing does not match the fastballs of U.S. pitchers, so it will be very difficult for him to be promoted to the majors.

If he were to return to Japanese baseball, his old team, the Bay Stars, would probably raise his hand, as he was the No. 4 pitcher for many years, but under the current circumstances, it would be very difficult for him to become a regular. Keita Sano, Austin, Masashi Kuwabara, and even Shugo Maki and Soto may play at first base or outfield, where Tsutsuka plays. There is no room for them.

The Giants have an unexpected connection to Tsutsuka. Denny Tomotoshi is in charge of overseas scouting at the organization headquarters. When Tsutsuka was with the BayStars, Denny served as pitching coach and in charge of organization, and they were close friends. He also has a good relationship with Sho Nakata, who played with the Giants in the “Samurai Japan” team, so Tsutsuka should be comfortable with the team and the Giants would love to have the left-handed Japanese cannon.

The Giants are likely to start acquiring FA players willingly in order to regain the championship. Will the Giants be able to revive their “evergreen Giants” with large-scale reinforcements?