Advertise on podcast: Talking Yakyu

Yuri Karasawa (https://x.com/yakyucosmo) and Brandon Tew (https://x.com/brandonteweets) break down the offseason foreign player signings in Nippon Professional Baseball. Plus, another look at Samurai Japan's 2026 World Baseball Classic team following the full roster reveal.00:00 - Introduction02:03 - New MLB Players on Samurai Japan05:40 - New NPB Players on Samurai Japan15:56 - Roster Grade?19:21 - Hanshin/SoftBank: Devanney, Ragsdale, Moreta, Hsu26:15 - DeNA/Nipponham: Hummel, Duplantier, Ruiz, Reynolds, Cox, Castro, Lao35:37 - Yomiuri/Orix: Dalbec, Howard, Whitley, Mata, Seymour, Hjelle44:44 - Chunichi/Rakuten: Sano, Abreu, McCusker, Contreras, Urena54:54 - Hiroshima/Seibu: Tarnok, Lin, Canario, Winans01:01:01 - Yakult/Lotte: Jackson, Long, Castillo, Liranzo, Walters, Quijada01:06:25 - NPB vs. KBO Foreign Players01:09:45 - Conclusion

Yuri Karasawa (https://x.com/yakyucosmo) and Brandon Tew (https://x.com/brandonteweets) break down the MLB signings of Munetaka Murakami, Tatsuya Imai, and Kazuma Okamoto. Plus, previewing Samurai Japan's chances at the 2026 World Baseball Classic with 19 of the 30 roster spots officially confirmed.00:00 - Introduction02:25 - Murakami, Imai, Okamoto Find MLB Homes07:13 - Okamoto to Toronto10:07 - Murakami to CWS15:28 - Imai to Houston23:51 - Posting System Reform?29:24 - Can Japan Compete with USA and DR?37:45 - Japan's Pitching Staff53:20 - Japan's Catching56:35 - Japan's Infield58:36 - Japan's Outfield01:07:04 - Conclusion