From our other sites
The story
It was reported during Game 4 of the Japan Series (on the 28th) that DeNA infielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo is considering exercising his foreign free agency rights this offseason. Tsutsugo moved to the Rays in 2020 and returned to DeNA in 2024. Foreign FA rights are granted separately from domestic FA rights and don’t necessarily mean a move overseas. On 5ch, skeptical voices citing his age and the outcome of his previous MLB stint stood out, while others speculated he’d been inspired by Munetaka Murakami’s success in the majors, or suggested he might instead move to another NPB team — reactions were split.
[DeNA] Yoshitomo Tsutsugo considering foreign FA rights — Yasutaka Tobashira also eyeing FA
◆SMBC Japan Series 2026 Game 4 — SoftBank 4-2 DeNA (28th, Mizuho PayPay Dome)
It was learned on the 28th that DeNA infielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo (35) is considering exercising his foreign free agency rights.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Seeing Murakami succeed must've lit a fire under him.
If that were true, he wouldn't have come back.
But age-wise it's gonna be rough.
Thought he'd settle down and finish his career in Japan, but seeing Japanese guys succeed over there must've made him want to try again.
Tough on the family probably, but if the man himself wants to do it, nothing to be done.
Tobashira: born Apr 11, 1990 (36)
↑
Tsutsugo isn't 35, by the way!
He's still 34.
Tobashira's age of 36 is correct though.
35 is a no-go.
Inspired by Murakami's 'success'? lol
MLB: 'Please don't.'
Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, who knows.
He might just end up with the Giants.
He's such a 'Mr. BayStars' type of player that I can't even picture him moving to another NPB team.
If he goes back to the US he's just going to end up not hitting again.
It's not like he suddenly got better against fastballs.
Norimoto did the same thing last year and ended up with the Giants.
so I get where the feeling comes from,
but he really should give up on the majors.
If it's a domestic move, some teams would want him though.
Actually, wouldn't the Carp take him?
The KBO's Asian-quota slots are pitchers only.
The most fun time of the year.
The Giants already poached Hanshin's Oyama and Morishita, plus DeNA's Maki too.
Murakami and Seiya Okamoto are simply on another level.
That was the only place left for him to go back to lol
Good luck to him.
Fujinami's heading back to the majors too…
Kind of like how they signed Harimoto back in the Nagashima era.
The Giants are apparently in on Masataka Yoshida too, so they'll be active on the reinforcement front, but whether they'd want Tsutsugo as a DH or third baseman is questionable.
As a pinch hitter maybe, but it's doubtful Tsutsugo himself would even want that role.
Background and key points of discussion
Foreign FA rights are a system granted separately from domestic FA rights, and exercising them doesn’t necessarily mean signing with an MLB team. In the thread, commenters pointed to the example of Koudai Norimoto, who exercised his foreign FA rights last year and ended up moving to the Yomiuri Giants, suggesting Tsutsugo might likewise move to another NPB team rather than overseas. The original article also listed Tsutsugo’s age as 35, but based on his birth date (November 26, 1991) he is actually 34 — an error that got corrected within the thread. Tsutsugo moved to the Rays in 2020 and returned to DeNA in 2024, and Munetaka Murakami’s success in the majors this season came up repeatedly as a likely backdrop to this latest consideration. At the same time, given Tsutsugo’s past struggles in the majors before returning to Japan, the view that his age makes another run unrealistic remained strong, producing a mix of anticipation and skepticism.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geisoku Sokuho+) thread “[Baseball] DeNA’s Yoshitomo Tsutsugo considering exercising foreign FA rights — ‘I think I’ll choose something that makes me want to take on a challenge’“.
Leave a Reply