DeNA Owner Tomoko Minaba “Furious” Over Team’s Slump… Will the BayStars Get Stronger With These Emergency “Turnaround” Measures?

“What’s going on?”

Tomoko Minaba (64), owner of the DeNA BayStars—who, along with the Hiroshima Carp and Chunichi Dragons, are languishing in the Central League’s B Class—is reportedly laying down the law with the team’s coaching staff.

The Yokohama DeNA BayStars advanced through the Climax Series in ’24 and won the Japan Series for the first time since the team’s parent company changed…

“It’s said that the key to their success was data-driven coaching and team composition. While this approach is now taking root at other clubs as well, they’re exploring a new way of competing that sets them apart from traditional coaching—such as having analysts on the bench to communicate closely with the players.Priority is now given to personnel who are receptive to the organization’s direction, and the search for a successor to former manager Daisuke Miura (52) proved difficult. Ultimately, the team settled on current manager Ryoji Aikawa (50), who was reportedly the ‘fifth-choice candidate’” (a former team member).

However, Ryuta Hagiwara, the former General Manager who laid the foundation for this system, left the team at the end of last year. It is said that President Yota Kimura (44) currently holds full authority over the club.

“Mr. Kimura, who served as the team’s vice president until last year, reportedly criticized pitcher Trevor Bauer (35)—whom Mr. Hagiwara had personally brought back—for managing only four wins while receiving an annual salary higher than the publicly disclosed amount, and held Mr. Hagiwara accountable for this.Subsequently, upon assuming full authority over management and team roster decisions as the club’s head, he decided to make Shion Matsuo (22) the starting catcher and traded Yudai Yamamoto (27)—who had made numerous demands regarding his contract renewal—to the SoftBank Hawks.

There was also reportedly some turmoil surrounding veteran pitcher Yasuaki Yamazaki (33), who was just four saves shy of 250 career saves. The team had prepared commemorative merchandise well in advance to celebrate its homegrown closer in a big way.“The original plan was for him to reach the milestone in May or early June, but he hit a major slump, suffering three losses in June alone. Team executives did not remove Yamazaki from the roster until July so they could sell the merchandise and lock in the profits,” (ibid.)

It is said that Owner Minaba was “furious” about this.

“As the team’s performance slumped and empty seats at Yokohama Stadium became increasingly noticeable, he apparently ‘checked in’ with team executives, asking, ‘What’s going on?’Panicked, the front office, in an effort to rebuild the lineup, reassigned Naonori Suzuki (54)—who had primarily been in charge of the farm team as a hitting development and traveling hitting development assistant coach—to the role of first-team hitting tactics and development coach on July 2.Hitting Development Coach Iwao Omura (57) was reassigned to the role of First-Team Hitting Development Coach and Scorer.

“Furthermore, on the 6th, the team announced that Pitching Coordinator Shinji Ohara (41) would also serve as a scorer, but as before, bench coach Kenjiro Tsuyooka (39)—who acts in accordance with the front office’s wishes—continues to be in charge of game strategy. While Manager Aikawa can voice his opinions, his actual decision-making power remains limited,” said a team official.

Will the team be able to pull off a comeback and secure a spot in the A Class by getting its internal structure in order?