SoftBank Hawks and DeNA BayStars have agreed to a stunning trade, sending catcher Yudai Yamamoto to the Hawks in exchange for pitcher Takato Ogata and infielder Tomoya Inoue. Both teams announced the deal on April 12.
Yamamoto, a ninth-round draft pick for DeNA in 2017, emerged as a key player with 51 games in 2021, 71 in 2023, 108 in 2024, and 104 in 2025, solidifying his role as the team’s primary catcher. This season, he had started 24 games before the trade. The move marks an unusual midseason swap involving a starting catcher, a rarity in Japanese baseball.
Ogata, a hard-throwing right-hander with a 159 km/h fastball, did not make the opening-day roster but was added on April 3. He has pitched 10 games this season with a
