Is DeNA Looking to Sign Former Hiroshima Player Kaito Kozono? Orix’s Yuma Mune’s “Next Move” Could Influence a “Difficult Decision”

Who Will Replace Miyazaki…?

The “zombie cigarette” scandal became one of the biggest scandals in professional baseball this year. In the wake of the controversy, attention is focused on the future of former Hiroshima infielder Kaito Kozono (26), who was released from the team.

“Although Koyama did not admit to using ‘zombie cigarettes,’ the team took issue with a group photo of him with a drug dealer that was published in a weekly magazine.On August 16, he was pulled from the game as a disciplinary measure due to a defensive error and demoted to the farm team. He continued to work on his game with the farm team until the end of the season. It was a season where he made headlines almost exclusively off the field, including his divorce from his ex-wife, who works as an influencer,” said a former team official.

Last season, he won the titles for batting champion and highest on-base percentage. His annual salary skyrocketed to 150 million yen (estimated). His future should have been bright—but…

“Last offseason, Kozono strongly pressed the team for a salary increase and the opportunity to move to the majors via posting in the future.However, this season he failed to deliver results on the field. His standing with former team owner Motoki Matsuda (75), who holds the real power within the organization, plummeted. It’s said his release was decided even though the team knew it would weaken their roster,” (same source).

From the perspective of other teams, this presents an unexpected opportunity to acquire a former batting champion. While a move to an overseas league has been rumored, NPB teams are closely monitoring his situation behind the scenes.

“Several teams in both the Central and Pacific Leagues, which are thin in the shortstop and third base positions, are gathering information, including conducting background checks. However, if they were to sign him, backlash from fans, the media, and sponsors would be inevitable. They’ll need to construct a narrative proving that Kozono is ‘innocent,’” said an executive from a Central League team.

One of the teams rumored to be interested in acquiring Kozono is DeNA.

“Toshiro Miyazaki (37), the team’s oldest player who started 85 games at third base this season, has shown significant decline, making it urgent to reinforce his position.We are evaluating Orix infielder Yuma Mune (30), a graduate of local Yokohama Hayato High School who has decided to exercise his domestic free agency rights, but a bidding war is inevitable. If we are unable to sign Mune, we may shift our focus to Kozono,” said a DeNA team official.

After ending the season with four straight losses to the SoftBank Hawks in the Japan Series, team owner Tomoko Minami (64) and other top executives have reportedly issued a strict order to the front office to make major roster moves.

The fate of Kozono—a talented player who has also been selected for Samurai Japan—may well rest in Mune’s hands.