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The story
It emerged on the 28th that DeNA infielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo (34) is seriously weighing whether to exercise the free-agent rights he already holds this offseason. The club’s stance is to try to retain him, but after the Japan Series ended he said, “I’ve always chosen to challenge myself without fear of failure,” fueling speculation about where he’ll end up. On 5ch, debate ranged from whether any team could realistically match an estimated salary north of ¥300 million, to his ties with Giants manager Hideki Matsui, to concrete guesses about destinations like the Hanshin Tigers — with opinions also split over how to judge his 20 home runs and 49 RBIs this season.
[DeNA] Yoshitomo Tsutsugo mulling whether to exercise free agency this offseason — club hopes to retain him, but he says “I’ve always chosen to challenge myself”
It emerged on the 28th that DeNA infielder Yoshitomo Tsutsugo (34) is considering exercising the free-agent rights he already holds this offseason. After returning to Yokohama from the United States, the three-year contract he signed in 2024 was entering its final season. After the Japan Series ended, he said, “I’ve always chosen to challenge myself without fear of failure. I think I’ll end up choosing whatever makes me feel like taking on that challenge” — suggesting that whether or not he exercises his rights, he’s weighing a wide range of options centered on the idea of “taking on a challenge.”
Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here
What people said
Murata and Kajitani both should've just stayed with the Baystars.
Baystars fans are cold-blooded, man.
Nobody bought Kuramoto's merch and it just sat there unsold—
his keychains were the only ones marked half-off.
Don't want to see Tsutsugo-kun turn into one of those 'Kyokasu' (derisive nickname for Giants players/fans).
Nah, nah —
even with the Baystars he hasn't been starting regularly since he came back from the US,
so he'd be better off at a team where he can actually lock down a regular spot.
That's what I'd do in his shoes.
who's actually going to pay Tsutsugo more than DeNA?
Given their needs, the Giants are a real possibility.
The Giants are gunning for a title under manager Matsui, so they might just go get him.
Tsutsugo loves Matsui, so he'd say yes in a heartbeat.
He was even nicknamed the "Godzilla of Hama" (Yokohama), after all.
might actually happen (lol)
No team's touching that.
You a Giants fan ("Kyokasu")?
Which team do you actually think he could be a regular at?
He'd be fine as a DH.
No way the captain can just leave.
Doesn't he feel the weight of that captain's armband?
He did play third base for some reason,
but wasn't that only when Miyazaki was out?
Sounds like Kyoda's staying too.
This season just went unusually well, so make next year a development year.
Pretty slim pickings, huh~
Bad match for Tsutsugo, honestly.
The gap's narrowed compared to the old days, but the Pacific League's still got more power pitchers who overwhelm you with velocity.
I guess it's fine if he fills a missing piece in a make-or-break year.
But in the Central League there'll be a DH spot starting next year, so there'd be less pushback about him crowding out young players' roster spots — as long as he actually helps the team win.
That's exactly why you develop them.
Sure, of course.
But I think it makes a difference whether the team has even one player who sets the benchmark or not.
Kind of like Anju right now.
If it were the majors, fine,
but if your enthusiasm only amounts to "I'll go work for a rival company doing the same job,"
then don't bother taking the captain's role in the first place.
Same deal as in Hello! Project (the idol groups these boards also cover).
There may be no formal responsibility, but in groups where the captain actually does the job, things run smoothly.
If it's "Manly" Murata (his tough-guy nickname), he'd probably give advice as a fellow player, not from the Yokohama front office's perspective.
Leadoff-hitting third baseman Kuramoto was actually a pretty good player, you know.
Can't — there's already a "Godzilla of the Red Helmets" (Carp's own Godzilla nickname taken).
Background and key points of this debate
Tsutsugo joined DeNA as the team’s first-round pick in the 2012 draft and rose to become a core player, winning a home run title among other honors. In 2020 he was released to pursue a shot at MLB, then returned to Japanese baseball in 2024 on a three-year contract. The current talk of exercising free agency comes as that contract reaches its final year, and at this stage the club’s position is simply that it wants to retain him — his own decision hasn’t been made yet. The thread’s disagreement centered mainly on whether, at 34, any team could offer better terms than DeNA: skeptics pointed to his reduced playing time this season and his RBI total not quite keeping pace, while others argued there would be demand for a left-handed power hitter given the DH rule coming to the Central League next season. Note that the “¥300 million salary” figure floating around the thread is unconfirmed speculation, not an official announcement from the club.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Yoshitomo Tsutsugo — Let Me Go to the Majors! Heading Toward a Declaration to Leave the Baystars Who Even Took Care of His Return Home!“.
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