In professional baseball, there is something called a free agent declaration. For domestic free agents, high school graduates can obtain eligibility after eight full years, and university graduates after seven full years, once they are registered with the first team. Players who declare themselves free agents can freely negotiate with other teams.
By the way, a year is calculated as 145 days, and I've not even had 30 days yet.
"Senshu Blacks infielder Kurosawa has filed for free agency."
I was eating dinner in the dorm cafeteria when the news came on TV. Hmm. Kurosawa has applied for free agency. I'm sure it will be a huge amount of money. I listened to the news feeling like a professional baseball fan.
Kurosawa is a powerful second baseman and one of the best infielders in baseball. The fact that he is eligible to become a free agent despite only being 29 years old is a testament to his success from a young age. This season he won the RBI title with a batting average of .323, 27 home runs, and 112 RBIs. He also stole 21 bases and is a good defender, making him one of the best five-tool players in Japanese baseball.
The "five tools" refer to the five abilities of hitting, power, running, fielding, and throwing. A player who excels in all these areas is called a five-tool player.
Every team would want Kurosawa, but his annual salary would likely be around 500 million yen, so only teams with deep pockets would be able to make a move. In that case, only the Tokyo Chariots, Keihan Jaguars, or Sendai Blue Leaves would be able to compete. I listened to the news as if it were something that didn't concern me.
The day after the news broke that the Keihan Jaguars had offered Kurosawa 2 billion yen over four years, information emerged that the Tokyo Chariots had offered him 3 billion yen over five years.
3 billion yen in 5 years? The average annual amount is 600 million yen. My yearly salary is 5 million yen, so that would be the equivalent of 120 people.
A few days later, news spread that the Sendai Blue Leaves had offered him a seven-year contract worth 4 billion yen plus bonuses. Hey, hey… can't even imagine. How many first prize lottery tickets is that?
Then came even more shocking news. Amazingly, our own Shizuoka Oceans also put their name forward to acquire him. Kurosawa is from Shizuoka, so perhaps the club is keen to acquire a local star player. However, the Shizuoka Oceans are by no means a financially powerful team. We can't win the money game. In fact, it has been reported that the Shizuoka Oceans are offering 2.5 billion yen over six years plus bonuses, which means other teams cannot compete in terms of terms.
Later, news broke that Tokyo Chariots had revised their offer to a total of 5 billion yen over seven years, including performance-based bonuses. Is this settled? I thought so. Three days later, even more shocking news came out.
"Kurosawa has decided to join the Shizuoka Oceans."
Huh? No way. The amount offered is significantly different from that of the Tokyo Chariots. Surely it's a false report.
However, information spread that afternoon that Kurosawa would be holding a press conference.
You're kidding. If Kurosawa comes to Shizuoka Oceans, I will hardly be able to play in any games. And a six-year contract? This means he will be a regular second baseman for at least six years. At this point, the only way for me to survive is to play defense or pinch run. Or should I aim for a different position?
However, the Shizuoka Oceans have Arai, in his second year after graduating from university, who has firmly established himself as a regular at shortstop, and the team captain, Tomatsu, at third base. They already have Shimizu at first base, and they may also acquire a new foreign player. I felt something cold run down my forehead and back.
And then the press conference in the afternoon. As reported, it was announced that Kurosawa would join the Shizuoka Oceans.
At the press conference, Kurosawa revealed that he grew up in a single-parent household. His mother paid for his Shizuoka Oceans fan club membership fees despite their tight household finances. As a member of the child's fan club, general admission seats were available for free at every game, so he was able to watch every game and became a big fan of the Shizuoka Oceans. Watching Shizuoka Oceans games was his greatest joy as a child. His dream was to join the Shizuoka Oceans in the future. And his mother is getting older, and he wants to be close to her. He clearly explained in his own words why he chose the Shizuoka Oceans.
The media also reported on him quite favorably, as he was a man who chose his dreams over money.
Both Shizuoka Oceans fans and players warmly welcomed Kurosawa's choice. Except for me and a few other players competing for second base.