Giants Aim for Triple Signing of Maeken, Norimoto, and Yanagi After Kuwata’s Exit

Kuwata’s departure accelerates the situation

Far from winning back-to-back Central League titles, the Giants suffered the humiliation of losing in the Climax Series for the second year in a row — and now they have adopted a policy of mass acquiring starting pitchers.

“Among this year’s starting pitchers, fifth-year pro Iori Yamazaki (27) led the team with 11 wins, and no one else even reached double digits. Ace Shosei Togo (25), who had recorded 12 wins for three straight years, struggled this season and finished 8–9, failing even to post a winning record. No other starter made a strong impression either. As things stand, the only pitcher essentially guaranteed a rotation spot for next season is Yamazaki. It’s an extremely harsh situation,” says a former team member.

Thus, team leadership has set its sights on Yuya Yanagi (31) of the Chunichi Dragons, who may exercise his free-agent rights.

“This season he finished 3–5 and couldn’t show his true ability, but Chunichi is notorious for its weak run support. Yanagi often ended up taking the loss in low-scoring games, and he himself had hinted early on about using his FA rights. In fact, Chunichi offered him a multi-year deal last offseason, but he chose a one-year contract. If he moves to the Giants, whose lineup provides much better run support, he should produce stable numbers. However, it’s unclear how his infidelity scandal will affect any transfer,” says a baseball reporter.

The Giants are also eager to acquire Kenta Maeda (37), who has declared his intention to return to Japanese baseball.

“His family has already relocated to Japan this year, and due to his wife’s preferences, he is expected to join a Tokyo-area team. He has some desire to return to Hiroshima, his former team, when considering his long-term career, but I’ve heard he is leaning toward the Giants,” says an MLB insider.

They have also listed Rakuten’s Takahiro Norimoto (34), who has announced that he will exercise his international free-agent rights.

“The Giants’ front office is judging candidates based solely on whether they can contribute as starting pitchers. All three have starting experience, and the team reportedly has a plan to keep Maeda on as a coach after retirement. If they fail to sign Yanagi or Norimoto, they intended to go after Orix’s Taisuke Yamaoka (30), but he quickly announced he would stay. They also seem ready to pursue SoftBank’s Sho Ishigaki (35) next,” says the former team member.

After Yamaoka’s unexpected decision to remain, team executives are visibly panicking.

“One executive even blurted out, ‘Isn’t there anyone who can start a game?!’ They essentially pushed out Masumi Kuwata (57), the former second-team manager who had been tasked with developing homegrown pitchers, and now their habitual mass-acquisition mode is resurfacing. With the one person who truly cared about pitcher development gone, the situation is getting worse. All four pitchers they’re targeting are in their 30s, and at this rate, instead of strengthening the staff, they’re likely to weaken it,” says a team staff member.

Will the Giants’ desperate, indiscriminate wave of acquisitions succeed as they attempt to reclaim the throne from Hanshin?