The Hanshin Tigers announced last week that with the exception of reliever Kyle Keller, who will receive a contract for 2023, the team’s other imports will all be let go.
The Tigers will be under new old management, bringing in former skipper Akinobu Okada to replace Akihiro Yano, who said before camp started that he would quit at season’s end. With that in mind, Hanshin said it is looking for new imports who will fit in with Hanshin’s established traditions.
“We’ve got a new setup and a new manager, and we want a new look,” a team executive said. “We appreciate the contribution these guys made to our disappointing season, but players can only be expected to take so much overblown expectation, impatience, and baseless criticism behind their backs to the media.”
“With that in mind, we have our eye on a new crop of imports who will help us win a pennant in 2023, and be suitable scapegoats if we don’t. Not just any player has the makeup we need to be a real Hanshin Tiger.”
