The Rakuten Eagles are close to adding twenty-nine-year-old Jabari Blash. Team official Hiroshi Abei told reporters on December 5 that they were still doing the paperwork and that a formal announcement could be made as early as December 7.
Source: Nikkan Sports 12/6/2018, Sponichi 12/6/2018
[UPDATE 12/7 @ 11:11pm]
The Eagles announced that they reached an agreement with Blash. He has not yet been assigned a uniform number. According to Daily Sports, the two sides agreed to a one-year contract worth an estimated 120 million yen.
Source: Rakuten 12/7/2018, Sports Hochi 12/7/2018, Daily Sports 12/7/2018
0 CommentsThe Rakuten Eagles announced that they are going to play two exhibition games against the CPBL Lamigo Monkeys next year in February/March.
Schedule
Source: Rakuten 12/5/2018
0 CommentsThe Rakuten Eagles announced the following uniform numbers assignments:
Source: Rakuten 12/4/2018
0 CommentsThe Rakuten Eagles announced that they reached an agreement with twenty-eight-year-old pitcher Alan Busenitz. He is a candidate to close. According to media reports, Busenitz agreed to a salary worth an estimated 70 million yen.
Source: Rakuten 12/3/2018, Sanspo 12/3/2018, Jiji 12/3/2018, Nikkan Sports 12/3/2018, Sanspo 12/3/2018, Daily Sports 12/3/2018, Sponichi 12/3/2018
0 CommentsThe Rakuten Eagles announced that they reached agreements with Zelous Wheeler, Frank Herrmann, and Chia-Hao Sung for the 2019 season.
The Eagles also announced that Japhet Amador, Carlos Peguero, and O’Koyea Dickson will not be returning next year.
Source: Rakuten 12/3/2018, Rakuten 12/3/2018, Sanspo 12/3/2018
0 CommentsThe Rakuten Eagles and Hiroshima Carp announced that they agreed on a one-for-one trade. Rakuten will send twenty-nine-year-old pitcher Yasunori Kikuchi to Hiroshima for thirty-year-old Yuya Fukui.
Source: Rakuten 11/29/2018, Hiroshima 11/29/2018, Nikkan Sports 11/29/2018, Sports Hochi 11/29/2018, Daily Sports 11/29/2018
[UPDATE 12/6 @ 3:47pm]
The Eagles held a press conference for Fukui earlier today. He was assigned the uniform number 31.
Source: Rakuten 12/5/2018, Daily Sports 12/6/2018
0 CommentsRakuten Eagles General Manager Kazuhisa Ishii told reporters on November 21 that they were close to reaching an agreement with twenty-eight-year-old Alan Busenitz. Ishii also said that Busenitz was one of three players they had on their list and that he was a candidate to close.
Incidentally, the Minnesota Twins posted the following in an official release from November 20:
Additionally, the Twins have granted right-handed pitcher Alan Busenitz his unconditional release, allowing him to be purchased by the Rakuten Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan.
Source: MLB.com 11/20/2018, Daily Sports 11/22/2018, Daily Sports 11/21/2018, Sports Hochi 11/21/2018, Sponichi 11/21/2018, Sponichi 11/22/2018, Nikkan Sports 11/22/2018, Sanspo 11/21/2018, Sanspo 11/21/2018, Sanspo 11/22/2018
0 CommentsHideto Asamura has reportedly informed the Rakuten Eagles that he wants to make Sendai his new home. Asamura has also informed the Orix Buffaloes, Softbank Hawks, and Seibu Lions about his plans to sign with another team. The Eagles could make a formal announcement of a deal some time soon.
Source: Daily Sports 11/20/2018, Sponichi 11/20/2018, Sponichi 11/20/2018, Nikkan Sports 11/20/2018, Nikkan Sports 11/20/2018, Sports Hochi 11/20/2018, Sports Hochi 11/20/2018, Sports Hochi 11/20/2018
[UPDATE 11/21 @ 11:32am]
Timeline:
Source: Sports Hochi 11/21/2018, Nikkan Sports 11/21/2018, Nikkan Sports 11/21/2018, Sponichi 11/21/2018
[UPDATE 12/2 @ 7:03am]
The Eagles held a press conference for Asamura on December 1. He was assigned the uniform number 3. According to various media reports, Asamura agreed to a four-year deal worth an estimated 2.0 to 2.4 billion yen in total.
Source: Rakuten 12/1/2018, Daily Sports 12/1/2018, Sports Hochi 12/1/2018, Nikkan Sports 12/1/2018, Chunichi Sports 12/1/2018
2 CommentsThe media learned on November 19 that Takahiro Shiomi had surgery to treat a herniated disc at a hospital in Tokyo on October 26. He is hoping to be ready to pitch at Ichi-gun some time in early May 2019.
Source: Sponichi 11/20/2018, Daily Sports 11/20/2018, Nikkan Sports 11/19/2018
0 CommentsKumejima Camp
Kin Camp
Source: Rakuten 11/19/2018
0 Comments