Sports · Baseball · 3 hrs ago
Takuya Kai moves from the Giants to the Rakuten Eagles in cash trade
The Giants have traded catcher Takuya Kai to the Rakuten Eagles for money, the two Japanese baseball clubs announced on October 30.
Kai, 33, joined the Giants from the SoftBank Hawks after using his free-agent rights in 2024 and signing a five-year deal.
He played 68 games in his first Giants season in 2025, but appeared in only 13 games in 2026 and hit .100.
The Giants’ representative said Kai had few chances to play and that the clubs agreed on a move that could give him a better opportunity.
The Eagles need help at catcher, with several changes to the position in their squad and another catcher having declared for free agency.
Kai developed into a leading catcher at SoftBank and also played for Japan, including at the Tokyo Olympics and the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Kai is due to meet the media in Sendai on November 3 for an introductory press conference.
Takuya Kai is moving from the Yomiuri Giants to the Rakuten Eagles in a cash trade, both teams announced on October 30.
The 33-year-old catcher played 13 games for the Giants this season, batting .100 with two home runs and two RBIs.
Kai joined the Giants from SoftBank as a free agent before the 2025 season on a reported five-year, 1.5 billion yen contract.
Giants executive Hiroshi Mizuno said Kai had limited playing opportunities and the teams agreed on a move that could give him a chance to perform.
Kai is scheduled to hold an introductory news conference in Sendai on November 3.
- Who
- Takuya Kai, a catcher, is moving from the Yomiuri Giants to the Rakuten Eagles.
- What
- The teams agreed to a cash trade.
- When
- The move was announced on October 30, 2026.
- Where
- Kai is moving from the Giants to the Eagles in Japan; his introductory news conference is scheduled for Sendai.
- Why
- The Giants said Kai had few chances to play, and the teams agreed on a move that could give him a chance to perform.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Kai exercised his domestic free-agent rights and moved from SoftBank to the Giants.
Kai played 68 games for the Giants, batting .260 with four home runs and 20 RBIs.
Kai appeared in 13 games for the Giants, batting .100 with two home runs and two RBIs.
The Giants and Eagles announced that Kai would move to Rakuten in a cash trade.
Kai is scheduled to hold an introductory news conference in Sendai.
- Player
- Takuya Kai, catcher, age 33
- Trade
- Cash trade from the Yomiuri Giants to the Rakuten Eagles
- Announcement
- October 30, 2026
- 2026 Giants record
- 13 games, 2 home runs, 2 RBIs, .100 batting average
- Introductory news conference
- Scheduled for November 3 in Sendai
3 sources
What people are saying
We had brought him in, but he was not getting many opportunities to play. We had been hoping for a situation where he could perform well, and the timing happened to work out, so they agreed to take him and the move was completed.