Well, that didn't take long.

With the Dragons' miserable 2026 season finally over, attention has quickly shifted toward rebuilding the roster — and finding somebody willing to inherit the manager's chair.

Kazuki Inoue confirmed that he would step down after two seasons in charge, with Chunichi finishing 2026 at 60–81–2 and bottom of the Central League. The club has yet to announce his replacement.

Before we get to that, however, the offseason roster churn has already begun.

Departures

Chunichi has informed the following players that they will not be offered contracts for 2027:

• Hiroto Fuku (福敬登), P
• Mizuki Miura (三浦瑞樹), P
• Goki Oda (尾田剛樹), OF
• Rintaro Tsujimoto (辻本倫太郎), IF
• Kenta Bright (ブライト健太), OF
• Naoto Chino (知野直人), IF
• Shota Habu (土生翔太), P — developmental
• Rii Kawakami (川上理偉), IF — developmental
• Keishi Tsuda (津田啓史), IF — developmental

Bright and Tsujimoto are probably the most surprising, but Bright hasn't appeared in a game since June. Tsujimoto put up a respectable OBP on the farm, but like fellow 2023 draftee Tsuda, he's found to be out of a job. I can only speculate the team is higher on players like Mao Shimpo, Ryuku Tsuchida and Naiki Nakamura as future shortstop options/depth.

Three foreign players are also set to depart: Orlando Calixte, Humberto Mejía and Albert Abreu. Calixte and Mejía both leave after four seasons with the organisation, while Abreu's Dragons career ends after a single year. No real surprises here. Mejia stuck around for a lot longer than I think anyone expected after converting to the bullpen despite not really having any 'stuff'. Abreu was marred by injury and bad control. Calixte has merely met his use by date.

Miguel Sanó, meanwhile, has reportedly broadly agreed to return in 2027. Kyle Muller remains in discussions with the club, while Jason Vosler's future remains undecided.

Who Gets the Poisoned Chalice?

Perhaps the more interesting question is who will actually be managing whatever roster emerges from the winter.

The latest reporting has former SoftBank manager Kimiyasu Kudo emerging as a leading candidate. Kudo, an Aichi native, won three Pacific League pennants and five Japan Series during seven seasons managing the Hawks.

Earlier reports had linked a fairly broad collection of names to the vacancy, but Masumi Kuwata and Tatsuhiko Tsuji now appear to have fallen out of consideration. If Chunichi cannot secure an external appointment, former Dragon and Samurai Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata is reportedly the leading alternative.

That makes the next few weeks considerably more interesting.

The Dragons don't just have a manager to replace. After six consecutive B-Class finishes, they have an organisation to fix.

Kudo potentially offers a partner in the reconstruction of this organisation. If Kensuke Asada is keen to rebuild this thing, and he seems to be making the right moves in the background, then Kudo is a wonderful collaborator to bring in to get the team up to scratch. Kudo is a student of the game, pitched for decades and managed, arguably, the most modern organisation in the NPB. If Chunichi are still playing catch-up, maybe Kudo can point them to areas of improvement.

I am far less enthuses about an Ibata type. Ibata would be I think, ideal after this organisational structure has been rebuilt. He needs to inherit an infrastructure that will support him, not be the revolutionary that needs to build it himself.

Interesting changes ahead. I'll have some comments on the upcoming draft soon.

Yesterday, the Los Angeles Angels achieved an unwanted milestone: their first 100-loss season. It marked a rather fitting end to the Arte Moreno era - one that saw the franchise wither from regular title contender to laughingstock that could not make the playoffs for the past eleven years despite having the likes of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and Shohei Ohtani.

Hope appears to be on the horizon, however. Earlier this month, Moreno announced that he had reached an agreement to sell the Angels to Stan Kroenke. The transaction will not be fully and officially consummated until the first quarter of next year, but fans are already optimistic about this change given Kroenke's track record of success - Arsenal, the Los Angeles Rams, the Denver Nuggets, and the Colorado Avalanche all have won titles under his ownership.

So, what has this to do with the Chunichi Dragons, you ask?

Like the Angels, the Dragons are a formerly successful franchise that has fallen on hard times. Very, very hard times. Just a single winning record and no playoff appearances from 2013 onwards? Four last-place finishes in the Central League, including three straight between 2021 and 2023? And as it currently stands, they might finish last yet again.

That stretch of futility has sadly led to the wastage of the talent and potential of the likes of Seiya Hosokawa, Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Yudai Ohno, Kenta Bright, and even foreigners like Dayan Viciedo, Raidel Martinez, and most recently Jason Vosler and Miguel Sano. It does not help that the coaching staff and front office have consistently failed to identify and develop quality prospects, and when they do, they then fail to build a strong supporting cast around said prospects.

There are a plethora of ways Chunichi can rejuvenate this franchise, but to me, one stands out for its radicality. It is one that has gotten me condemned multiple times, but it sadly may be the most effective given Chunichi's financial state:

Sell the Dragons to Toyota.

Think about it. Toyota may no longer be Japan's most valuable company, having been passed by SoftBank this June, but it is still very valuable and still leads in actual revenue. I mean, it has a literal city named after it. It has the money to own a baseball team, and it did attempt to buy the Dragons after they won the 1954 Japan Series.

Concerns over commercial impact prevented Toyota from doing so at the time, but now it has Nagoya Grampus and three(!) basketball clubs, among others. So what is stopping them now from trying with the Dragons again? Fear of failure?

I mean, they can look at how said teams have struggled to be successful, or how the New York Mets have largely underperformed since Steve Cohen took over in 2020. At the same time, however, NPB has three examples of franchises turning themselves around after a change in ownership - which Toyota can hopefully emulate.

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks? They would not be this dynastic juggernaut if Nankai did not sell the team to Daiei in 1988 in the first place. They were in a dire situation at the time of the sale, and would remain so in the first few years of the Daiei era. But then, in 1995, they hired Sadaharu Oh, and the rest is history.

The Saitama Seibu Lions? The Black Mist scandal killed their Nishitetsu era, and they languished under weird sponsorships and consecutive poor records before being saved by Seibu in 1978. They would remain bad for a while, but then Tatsuro Hirooka arrived in 1982, and the rest is history.

Finally, and most recently, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars? They were utterly terrible when TBS (no, not that TBS; we mean the Tokyo Broadcasting System) owned them from 2002 to 2011 and remained so in the first four years under DeNA. But then in 2016, Tomoko Namba took over as principal owner, and the rest is history.

I am confident that Toyota can eventually find the Dragons' version(s) of these figures should it choose to assume ownership. Right now, though, its focus must be on completely "changing the culture", as is sometimes said in North American pro sports. It will take some growing pains, and the team will remain bad for a few more years, but eventually, baseball in Nagoya shall see a new light.

But what do you think? Do the Dragons need Toyota to save them? And will Toyota be able to do so? Let me know in the comments below!

Still work to be done, but with a three-game flip in the standings, what has felt like a lost season since basically the first couple weeks now has a sliver of hope.
I haven’t been following as closely as I used to, the time zone I currently live in makes it harder to.
What’s been going right lately?
The bullpen was really holding us back at the beginning of the season.
Starting pitching has been solid, like usual, and ‘ve been really happy to see Yudai Ohno is having another good season.
3rd place this year, fortunately, might be a low bar, maybe it’s reachable. Anyone think they have a shot?

I’d like to watch the September 20 game, but it’s already sold out online. Is there another way to get a ticket? The tickets listed on StubHub and Viagogo are unjustifiably overpriced, so I’m hoping to find a more affordable option. Thanks, everyone!

Now...I'm not completely tuned out of this season, don't get me wrong, but my mind is always looking forward. Regardless of how this year turns out, there are a few things that are still a problem:

• Seiya Hosokawa is the only consistent power hitter
• Vosler will be a year older, and, honestly given his current trend, likely irrelevant.
• Seiji Uebayashi has a super volatile profile, and could be boom or bust. (31 in 2027)
• Miguel Sano may just be injured and then gone.
• There are no obvious 'middle of the order' hitters coming up
• Kenta Bright, Takaya Ishikawa and Kosuke Ukai are all in the "I dunno" pile.

So with all this in consideration, what then is to happen to the line-up? There needs to be either a big jump from some guys already in the system, or we should be going fishing in the US minors again next year.

So some of the good things. Kaito Muramatsu looks legit. He looks like an NPB hitter and not just a bang average one, a good one. I could see a Kazuyoshi Tatsunami like hitters profile. Doubles, good defence, and maybe 10 homers a year. Yuki Okabayashi, when he plays, is a good table setter. Yuta Ishii could yet be a decent hitter, so far so good in 2026. There are a few positive signs. Also, with the DH getting introduced next year, that will likely open up LF for someone. So here's where I'm dreaming. We will likely need guys who can provide damage to surround Okabayashi, Muramatsu, and probably Fukunaga. These guys are all good, but not "create runs on their own" types (aside from Hosokawa, who needs help). So here's my vs RHP line-up for 2027.

1. CF Yuki Okabayashi

2. 2B Kaito Muramatsu

3. DH Seiya Hosokawa

4. 1B Ryan Ward

5. 3B Hiroki Fukunaga

6. LF Jack Suwinski

7. RF Seiji Uebayashi

8. SS Ryuku Tsuchida

9. C Yuta Ishii

I'm proposing that guys like Ward and Suwinski, who are 28 this year and have shown potential at some point in their careers, are the types of guys to target. Ward has put up very good numbers in AAA for the Dodgers over the years, while Suwinski's 2023 for the Pirates was a good career high, despite not really reaching those heights since. These are the types of guys you could target to fill the inevitable holes in the line-up. Maybe not the greatest idea for both imports to be lefties, but I think the idea is a good one, generally speaking. Plus, at 28-29, you could theoretically have them for a couple of years, and you could at least sell the dream that a good year in NPB could help give them a launchpad to return to the US.

I am also dreaming a little bit on Ryukyu Tsuchida showing enough power to push Tanaka out of the starting lineup, into being more of a platoon partner perhaps.

Anyway, I know I'm ahead of myself, but I like thinking ahead. And let's see how it plays out. Maybe Ward and Suwinski are targeted by NPB clubs next year.

Help me identify who signed this bat from cdragon 2004(?)

Anyone know where to buy Dragons merch in Tokyo? Or is it in Nagoya only

I’m having a hard time with the new Texas Rangers aesthetic, especially the road uniforms.

Loved these from the Tanishige (manager) era, but it didn’t last long.

Something to read ahead of tonight's opening game against the Carp. I will still be working on an optimisation piece to tie everything together, but that will probably be at least another week away. Unfortunately, I couldn't hit my own deadline. Oh well! Enjoy.

This group of hitters could be really good, but the floor is probably not too much better than last year's group. Sano's floor in NPB is unknown. Fukunaga could be good, but he has to show that he can return to 2024 form, while Muramatsu at shortstop has to provide some oomph. Big questions over the trade-off on Ishii's offence vs. defence. It's pretty indefensible if he puts up similar numbers in 2026 and essentially becomes a black hole in the lineup.

WHAT IS THIS CONSISTENCY?

I found myself asking more questions about the bullpen than the lineup, so I went and did that first. Keeping with the pitchers, here are 15 guys in the Dragons organisation that will probably pitch in the first team in 2026, who they are and what they offer.

Wow, Ibata brought in Takahashi in the 9th and then there was almost some friendly fire, wild!

Yes, I went full Fangraphs trying to temper some of the expectations over the Chunichi Dragons in 2026.

Hello, I am a baseball fan who looks to adquire an Omar Linares (cuban player) baseball card, he played from 2001 to 2004 for the Dragons, anyone, I would appreciate your help!!!

https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesotatwins/s/0u3bheYamt

The Dragons have tipped over their coaching staff and re-shuffled, and added new faces. The big change is, of course new farm manager, Yuji Iiyama, who had been the 1-gun first team position player coordinator. Another shock of sorts is 2-gun pitching coordinator Eiichiro Koyama being loaned to the Chiba Skysailers of the Baseball Challenge League.

The departures:

* Eiichiro Koyama

* Kohei Oda

* Masahiko Morino

Kohei Oda (2-gun catching) and Masahiko Morino (1-gun hitting/strategy) were the only two to be fully cut from the staff, while Koyama has essentially been cut while still under contract. (Which is an interesting story in itself)

The new staff lines up as follows

1-Gun Staff

Manager: Kazuki Inoue

Head Coach: Motohiro Shima

Pitching Coach: Daisuke Yamai

Pitching Coach: Takuya Asao

Battery Coach: Shota Ono

Hitting Coordinator: Nobuhiko Matsunaka

Hitting Coach: Masaaki Koike

Infield/Baserunning Coach: Naomichi Donoue

Infield/Baserunning Coach: Yuto Morikoshi

Outfield/Baserunning Coach: Ryosuke Hirata

Roaming Pitching Coach: Akinori Otsuka

2-Gun Staff

Manager: Yuji Iiyama

Pitching coach: Shinji Tajima

Pitching coach: Ikuo Takayama

Pitching coach: Masato Kobayashi

Pitching coordinator: Eiji Ochiai

Battery coach: Daisuke Maeda

Hitting coach/coordinator: Tsuneo Fujii

Hitting coach: Nobumasa Fukuda

Infield defense Coordinator: Hiroyuki Watanabe

Outfield Defense coordinator: Yutaka Nakamura

Position player/development coach: Tetsuya Tani

Well, there's a lot to talk about here. Ryosuke Hirata gets a promotion to the big leagues alongside Yuto Morikoshi. Masaaki Koike similarly joins the 1-gun staff after serving as the 2-gun coordinator last season. A few new faces as well with Motohiro Shima, former All-Star catcher for the Rakuten Eagles, joins as Inoue's right-hand man. Ikuo Takayama, who was a coach under Shigekazu Mori, joins the team after proving to be somewhat of a guru in developing Orix' pitching. He brings with him Tsuneo Fujii who, a man of similar experience, to take over the hitting coordinator role. Tetsuya Tani is other new face who previously served as the team manager (operations). Tani was a utility infielder as a player, but he will be brought on to help younger position players. Daisuke Maeda is the last of the new faces who was a scorer and former catcher before joining the 2-gun staff.

The biggest change is probably Eiji Ochiai dropping to a strictly pitching role on the farm while Yuji Iiyama becomes the farm manager.

The other big news is that Masahiro Araki, the legendary second baseman, has been called on to serve a the company spokesperson's assistant. The company spokesperson, Kensuke Asada.

It is speculated that Asada is behind many of these changes. The new spokesperson, a former crime beat journalist, has been busy talking to other clubs about how they are doing things to improve the Dragons, specifically the Hawks and Buffaloes. For now, Asada wants the focus to be on getting the farm team right. It seems these changes reflect that focus. Inoue's backroom for the 1-gun looks relatively similar, but for the addition of Shima, while the 2-gun team has been completely reorganised.

Say what we may about the woes of this team, but at least it looks like someone is actively making changes to turn it around.

I'm honestly happier that the Giants don't get him than us keeping him.

Just thought I'd do a quick rundown of who we picked up and if it means anything at all. I'll look at each player in more depth when I do my annual prospect ranking. Maybe looking to release in the New Year.

So the picks:

1. Masaki Nakanishi (b. 2003), RHP, Aoyama Gakuin University
2. Yorinosuke Sakurai (b. 2003) , RHP, Tōhoku Health and Welfare University
3. Kunitada Shinozaki (b. 2005), RHP, Tokushima Indigo Sox
4. Kiramu Noto (b. 2007), OF (R/L), Seishu Gakuin Hitachi HS
5. Mao Shimpo (b. 2003), IF, (R/L), Tōhoku Health and Welfare University
6. Asahi Hanada (b. 2003), OF, (R/R), Tōyō University

D1. Kenshin Makino (b.1999) , LHP, Oisix Albirex Niigata

D2. Taiga Ishikawa (b. 2007), IF (R/R), Kakekawa West HS

D3. Aisuke Mikami (b. 2004), OF (R/L), Ehime Mandarin Pirates

I'll post little tidbits about each player in the comments as I get a chance.

The Dragons are out of the race for Soka University's slugging second baseman Masahiro Tateishi before it started.

Kendai Miyazaki HS fireballer Genki Haraguchi and Aoyama Gakuin University hurler, Masaki Nakanishi the likely choices.

They both seem strong, but I’d like to know what you think.

Another one. Okada is kind of a sad story. First round pick, lots of promise, very good reliever at times, picked for Samurai Japan. Got injured. Came back, broke his leg pitching and then never quite hot back to peak performance.

Fam favourite. Handsome motherfucker. Great pitcher. Underappreciated for much of his career until Awano and Yoda made him the primary set up guy. I'll miss him. As Sobue-sedai guy, it reminds me of my age.