The Yomiuri Giants acquired veteran lefty Mitsuo Yoshikawa and minor league outfield prospect Shingo Ishikawa from the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in a four-player trade.
In exchange for the 28-year-old Yoshikawa and the 23-year-old Ishikawa, the Fighters received 26-year-old outfielder Taishi Ota and 24-year-old left Katsuhiko Kumon. Yoshikawa, the Pacific League's 2012 MVP, and Ota, the Giants' first draft pick in 2008, are the only two with significant first-team playing time.
Perhaps the most interesting player in the deal is Ishikawa, who has produced solid numbers on the Fighters' Eastern League team — with a .352 on-base percentage despite his performance tailing off the past two seasons. Ota's minor league numbers do not compare nearly as well. His career OBP in the minors is .317, while with the first team it has been .280.
"I feel a sense of frustration not having been able to get good results on the first team," Ota said.
Yoshikawa went 7-6 this season, raising his career record to 48-56. Ishikawa has played in just 103 first-team games, where he has batted .193.
Ota has played in 225 first-team games, while Kumon has pitched in just 15 games.