“Establishment of a new system is inevitable → there are many shocking transfers” Consider abolishing the FA compensated player system
Is it because of the aftermath of the Japanese version of the ‘Kim Kang-min incident’? The Japan National Baseball Organization (NPB) is reviewing its free agent (FA) compensation player regulations. The possibility of ‘abolishing’ the system is even being discussed.
Japan's 'Daily Sports' reported on the 23rd (Korean time), "The National Baseball Organization (NPB) is seriously considering a review of the current FA system," and added, "The compensation player system for domestic FA transfers will be abolished or will be an option." “There is a possibility,” he said.
The Japanese baseball world has become very heated recently. The reason was because of the ‘compensatory player’. This is how the incident started. Hotaka Yamakawa, who won the championship trophy as a member of the Japanese national team at last year's World Baseball Classic (WBC), transferred to Softbank Hawks through free agency. Yamakawa is Japan's leading slugger, but he is at the center of controversy after being accused of sexual assault last year.
At the time, Yamakawa claimed, "It was not forced," but the victim's position was different. Yamakawa was subject to an ‘indefinite suspension’ from the Seibu Lions due to this incident. Afterwards, the prosecution 'non-indicted' Yamakawa, but he could not return to the ground because Seibu did not release the disciplinary action. In the end, Yamakawa, who was about to become a free agent, was able to perform a 'showcase' only in the Miyazaki Phoenix League after the 2023 season schedule ended.
Although Yamakawa achieved free agency status, it seemed unlikely that he would find a new destination as he had been accused of sexual misconduct. However, there was a club that defied all expectations. It was Softbank. Softbank moved very actively to recruit Yamakawa. Softbank, which moved with the goal of recruiting a slugging right-handed hitter this winter, dispatched Suakut immediately after hearing the news that Yamakawa would play in the Miyazaki Phoenix League, and eventually won the contract.
Softbank, which sparked controversy over sexual misconduct, received a lot of criticism from fans when it hired Yamakawa, and something even more shocking happened. In the process of creating a list of Yamakawa's compensation players, Softbank omitted the name of 'Living Legend' Tsuyoshi Wada, who has '163 career wins in the U.S. and Japan.' In the case of Wada, he is a ‘franchise star’ who has always worn the Hawks uniform except for the time he joined the Daie Hawks in 2002 and advan
Wada won the 'Rookie of the Year' title with the Hawks and also held the 'King of Most Wins' title, appearing in a total of 326 games in Japanese professional baseball, recording 159 wins, 87 losses, and an average ERA of 3.18. In particular, last year, Wada pitched in 21 games and showed off his performance befitting his 42-year-old age, posting a record of 8 wins, 6 losses, and an ERA of 3.24. The eight wins were the second-most wins among SoftBank's starters.
According to 'Nikkan Sports', there was a report that Wada was excluded from the protected player list and will wear the Seibu uniform as a compensation player for Yamakawa. This was the same situation as Kim Kang-min was excluded from the SSG Landers' protected player list in the second round of the KBO League draft held last year and transferred to the Hanwha Eagles. Still, there was no mishap like Kim Kang-min. At that time, Seibu nominated Hiroshi Kaino, who had a fastball speed of 'up to 160 km', rather than Wada.
Although Wada's transfer did not materialize, it is clear that Wada was actually excluded from the list of protected players, and Seibu almost exercised its right to appoint Wada. The reason Kaino, not Wada, transferred to Seibu was because Seibu and Softbank had discussions after the report by Nikkan Sports came out. Due to the strong storm, the Japan Baseball Organization plans to revise the current compensation player system.
According to 'Daily Sports', in December last year, the Japan Professional Baseball Players' Association raised its voice regarding compensation for players at a general meeting. And NPB also began a detailed review of free agent compensation players. The media explained, “There are frequent cases of transfers in shocking ways,” and “There have long been deep-rooted voices in the baseball world calling for a review of the current system.”
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