Hiroshima Toyo Carp right-hander Masato Morishita announced on Nov. 4 that he will exercise his domestic free-agent rights, the club confirmed on its official website.
Key points
- Morishita, 29, said he wants to hear how other clubs value him and has not decided whether to stay or leave. "I’m still torn," he told reporters at Mazda Stadium, according to Nikkan Sports.
- Hiroshima allows him to re-sign after declaring, and talks with the Carp will continue. Nikkan Sports reported the club has offered a multi-year deal at a raise over his estimated 200 million yen salary.
- The Yomiuri Giants and Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks are among clubs reported to be interested, and Hochi (via Baseball Post) also named the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Other teams can begin negotiating with him on Nov. 11.
- This is domestic free agency, not a move to MLB. Still, Morishita has spoken before about wanting to pitch in the majors, and said he still has that dream: "I’ve always wanted to play at a higher level, so I’m thinking about that too."
The numbers
A former first-round pick out of Meiji University, Morishita won the Central League Rookie of the Year award in 2020 with 10 wins and started for Japan’s gold-medal team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He went 7-11 with a 3.60 ERA this season and owns a career record of 60-59 with a 2.84 ERA over seven seasons, according to Nikkan Sports and Nikkei.
Because of his salary, he is expected to be a Rank A free agent, which would require the signing club to compensate Hiroshima with a player or cash, Baseball Post reported.
(Information as of 12 p.m. JST, Nov. 5)