“I was surprised and upset” when Inaba GM announced a free contract on November 16th.
Outfielder Taishi Ota, who became a free contract from Nippon-Ham and decided to join DeNA, responded to an independent interview with the Full-Count editorial department. On November 16th, Nippon-Ham broke the list of holders for “non-tender” who was not presented with a contract for next season, and DeNA announced the acquisition on the 14th of this month. The 31-year-old, who was attracting attention for his departure, talked about his emotional movements and learning during the 28 days from non-tender to deciding where to transfer.
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From the beginning, a meeting with Nippon-Ham executives was held on November 16th. Daejeon goes to a room in Tokyo where Atsunori Inaba GM is waiting. Various thoughts came to my mind.
“I had a lot of imaginations. Is it a big salary reduction, is it a story of FA rights? Or is it a dismissal? (The idea of out-of-force notification) was faint, but I had such a sense of crisis.”
The meeting time is about 10 minutes. The new GM, who took office in late October, did not offer a contract for next season and was informed that it would be a free contract. “It’s easier to negotiate with other baseball teams with a free contract than to exercise the FA right. You can make a good choice when playing baseball,” he said, but he couldn’t hide his upset immediately after the notification.
“I’ve been in the professional baseball world for 13 years and was told that I had a free contract for the first time. It was my first experience. I thought I had to move forward, but I was surprised and upset.”
It was an unwilling season. This season, when he became the main player of Nippon-Ham, he suffered from extreme stagnation and repeatedly withdrew for more than a month. Batting average .204, 3 home runs, 20 RBIs. He also participated in 76 games, which was the worst after the transfer. “I have to change myself. I think I shouldn’t do it as usual. Of course, I’m thinking of improving my skills, but I think it’s still not enough.” It was a notification as I renewed my feelings for next season.
Sudden free contract made me feel uncomfortable every day. With mixed feelings coming and going, I thoroughly devoted myself to the voluntary training at the Nippon-Ham Fighters 2 military facility.
“I had a lot of thoughts, but I don’t know why, but when I’m practicing baseball, I forget about it. Whether you hit or throw the ball, if you concentrate on one thing, that’s what it is. I forgot to practice. “
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