![[Yahoo JPN] BREAKING: Former Hanshin Player Daichi Moriki, who had been released from the team, has signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres, according to the MLB official website](https://www.rawchili.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/re3c1v2eslig1-960x1024.jpeg)
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/81d441a5076d94991e5f88f50258c0bc2c340089
From article: According to the site, Moriki signed the minor league contract with the Padres on January 23 (January 24 in Japan time). The MLB official site has already created an individual page for Moriki, stating that he will belong to the Padres' rookie league )Arizona Complex League) affiliate.
Moriki was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft and joined Hanshin. He appeared in only two games in the first team in 2022, and received a release notice after the 2025 season. He later also participated in an open tryout."
15 comments
Incoming CY young, no I will not take anything less please and thank you
Its all coming together… The padres this year is a rag tag of left overs as far as free agents..we’re basically the A Team of baseball.
i have zero idea who he is but I have full faith in ruben niebla
Sounds like he kinda sucks
Ruben and Yu are gonna work some ✨magic✨
Are we supposed to be excited by a guy who couldn’t even cut it in Japan?
So… why was he released?
Its something I guess
https://preview.redd.it/n87q7tfa1mig1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8527de8ea422070c2a5851434326a6518c25f74f
Zero downside to a signing like this. Costs next to nothing, gets parked in AAA or AA to work on things
Just like major league! My kind of team Charlie! Rather have hungry players than guys who got paid and taking it easy.
already got the team color scheme goin
Probably amounts to nothing considering his struggles in NPB, but he’s still fairly young and evidently has the arm talent. Zero downside to taking a shot on him and seeing if our player development staff can work some magic.