Padres take flier on 22-year-old NPB pitcher in overlooked move originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The San Diego Padres quietly made an addition from Nippon Professional Baseball in January.
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According to his MLB.com profile, right-hander Daichi Moriki signed a minor league contract with the NL West club. The 22-year-old was assigned to the Arizona Complex League.
Moriki made his NPB debut with the Hanshin Tigers in 2022 and has not appeared with the top team in the Pacific League since. In 14 games with the Tigers’ farm team in 2025, he posted an ugly 13.81 ERA with 14 strikeouts and 18 walks in 14.1 innings.
San Diego is taking a chance with Moriki
Moriki’s contract with the Padres is a minor move, in reality. Given his poor numbers on the farm in Japan last year, he’s unlikely to see time on the mound at the Major League level this upcoming season.
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To start, he will face other rookies and recent draft picks in the Arizona Complex League. There is no indication that his contract includes an invitation to Major League spring training.
This offseason, the Padres were linked to Japanese third baseman Kazuma Okamoto before he and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal.
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