The Saitama Seibu Lions acquired IF Shota Hiranuma and P Katsuhiko Kumon from the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in exchange for IF Ryusei Sato and OF Fumikazu Kimura on Thursday morning. The NPB trade deadline was extended into August due to the Olympics.
Hiranuma, who turns 24 on Monday, was originally a fourth round draft pick of the Fighters out of high school in 2015. His most productive ichi-gun season came in 2019 with a slashline of .236/.291/.333 in 73 games. Hiranuma's playing time continued to diminish since.
Kumon, 29, was traded for the second time in his career with the first happening after the 2016 season. As a left-handed middle reliever, he took several medium leverage innings as a setup/situational pitcher. His playing time diminished in 2020. Kumon was originally drafted by the Yomiuri Giants in 2012.
Sato, 24, was the Lions' seventh round draft pick in 2018. He initially made the ichi-gun in 2019 and saw time as a defensive replacement at 3B. His career went South in 2020 when he broke a team rule by going golfing with a teammate and went speeding, causing trouble with the law. The Lions suspended him for the entire 2020 season as a result. Sato only saw 11 ichi-gun games in 2021.
Kimura, who turns 33 in September, was a starting outfielder for the Lions. He was initially drafted as a pitcher in 2006 before making the full time switch to OF in 2013. His peak season came in 2018 where he slashed .260/.330/.413 in a part time/defensive replacement role. Kimura entered the 2021 season on pace to reach domestic free agency, but he fell out of favor with only 20 ichi-gun games in 2021.
This trade is a flyer for both teams to pickup a relatively young player thrown in with a veteran. For the Lions, they could use left-handed bullpen help with Kumon. They're also hoping Hiranuma can be cheap infield depth as he can play 3B and 2B. He's a fast slap hitter, but even in a worst case scenario, Hiranuma can be a pinch runner.
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