Is this player coming to Korea? NPB No. 1 in total → Ohtani University colleagues recruited SSG in a surprise move
Nov 16, 2025
|
On the 16th 'Tokyo Sports' and other Japanese multiple media reported "Takeda, who hoped to extend his active duty after being released from Softbank, will move to SSG Landers."
"Tokyo Sports" reported that at the time of receiving the release notice from SoftBank, SSG was the first to be contacted. So I felt the connection with SSG and decided to make a new start in Korea," he said.
"He was once a candidate for Softbank's 'Ace', with more than 10 wins for two consecutive years, and he had a lot of potential," Takeda said. "There are many players who are reviving after Tommy John Surgery." He explained, "A player who can spray up to 155 kilometers."
He is an outstanding pitcher with a career in Japanese professional baseball and a career in the Japanese national team. Takeda, born in 1993 in Miyazaki, joined the Softbank Hawks as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2011 with a height of 1m87 and a weight of 92kg, and has played only in Softbank so far this year. At the time of joining the team, he was so highly anticipated that he was called the "second Darvish".
The NPB's overall performance was 66 wins, 48 losses, 11 holds, 2 saves, and an ERA of 3.34. In particular, he won 13 and 14 games for two consecutive years in the 2015-2016 season, winning double digits.
He has also played for the national team. He was called up for a warm-up match against the U.S. in 2014, and played as a starting pitcher for the national team led by Shohei Ohtani at the time in the 2015 Premier 12. In addition, Takeda was selected as a substitute in the 2017 WBC when Ohtani was unable to be dispatched due to an ankle injury.
However, there is a recent history of surgery. On April 9 last year, he underwent reconstruction of the medial collateral ligament of the right elbow (Tommy John Surgery) and elbow joint formation, and the expected rehabilitation period was 1 to 1 year and 6 months at that time.
He returned to action in a minor team game in early June this year, and played in six games in the second division, but his condition has not yet risen. And he was finally unable to return to the first team and was notified of his release by the Softbank club after the season.
SSG sees Takeda as a starting candidate for now. After the contract of two foreign pitchers, which has not yet been completed, Takeda will join the starting team and start the rotation with three foreign players.
Kagoshima (Japan) = Reporter Nayuri youll@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
