A season of farewells: Giants’ 2025 retirements and departures
With the end of the 2025 NPB season, the Yomiuri Giants have fully entered their “season of farewells.” As of December 7, the club has officially announced a series of retirements, departures and free agents. Based on club releases and the NPB’s official transaction lists, we整理 the moves surrounding key players.
Beloved franchise face Hisayoshi Chono, reliever Daisuke Kondo who hung up his spikes just two years after joining from Orix, hardworking outfielder Shinnosuke Shigenobu after ten years of hustle, and the shock move of Louis Okoye being granted free agency by mutual consent – together they form a symbolic “farewell list” of the Giants’ 2025 offseason.
1. Retiring players: Hisayoshi Chono, Daisuke Kondo, Shinnosuke Shigenobu
First, a look back at the three players who chose to retire at the end of this season.
| Player | Position | Years with Giants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hisayoshi Chono | Outfielder | 2010–2018, 2022–2025 | Held a retirement ceremony during the 2025 Giants Fan Festa. Rookie of the Year, batting champion and hits leader – long-time “Mr. Comeback” for the club. |
| Daisuke Kondo | Right-handed pitcher | 2024–2025 | Entered the season declaring “if I don’t perform, I’ll retire,” and kept his word. Right-handed reliever with 204 career appearances including his Orix days. |
| Shinnosuke Shigenobu | Outfielder | 2016–2025 | Announced his retirement on social media after being informed he was no longer in the club’s plans. For 10 years he supported the team as a pinch runner, defensive replacement and bunter – a true unsung hero. |
Chono’s retirement ceremony was held on November 23 at the Giants Fan Festa 2025. He received bouquets from manager Shinnosuke Abe and captain Hayato Sakamoto, and in a tearful speech expressed his deep gratitude to the fans.
Kondo entered the season having decided in advance that he would retire if he failed to perform. While battling back from a major right shoulder injury, he ultimately chose to stand by his words and bring his career to a close.
Shigenobu, meanwhile, reflected on his 10-year career on Instagram, writing that “things didn’t go well most of the time, but everything has become a treasure.”
2. Free agents and departures (based on December 2 NPB listing)
The NPB’s December 2 announcement of free agents included many Giants pitchers and outfielders listed as “players not reserved” (free agents). Jersey numbers and positions are as of the 2025 season.
| Category | Player | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retirement + free agent | Hisayoshi Chono | Outfielder | Retirement ceremony at Fan Festa. Listed as a “non-reserved player (free agent)” in the NPB announcement. |
| Retirement + free agent | Daisuke Kondo | Pitcher | Retirement announced by the club, treated as a free agent in the NPB listing. |
| Retirement | Shinnosuke Shigenobu | Outfielder | Declared his retirement on social media after being informed he was out of the club’s plans. |
| Free agent | Nobutaka Imamura | Pitcher | Left-hander who worked both as a starter and reliever but has seen reduced opportunities in recent years due to injuries. |
| Free agent | Rei Takahashi | Pitcher | Right-handed submariner. Leaves the club after two seasons following his move from SoftBank. |
| Free agent | F. Griffin | Pitcher | Left-handed starter who anchored the rotation for three straight years and posted an ERA in the 1.00s this season, but departs with the expiry of his contract. |
| Free agent | K. Keller | Pitcher | Right-handed reliever who contributed out of the bullpen. |
| Free agent | Kosuke Baba | Pitcher | Right-hander acquired from Hanshin. Could be a candidate to sign with another team. |
| Free agent | Juso Ishida | Pitcher | Left-handed reliever used mainly on the farm. |
| Free agent | Naoki Toda | Pitcher | Right-hander who rose from a developmental contract to earn a spot on the 70-man roster. |
| Free agent | Makoto Kyomoto | Pitcher | Young right-hander whose future destination will be watched with interest. |
| Free agent | Ryusuke Kita | Catcher | Former developmental catcher whose game-calling was highly regarded. |
| Free agent | M. Fulp | Outfielder | Foreign outfielder who earned a 70-man roster spot mid-season. |
| Free agent | E. Hernandez | Outfielder | Right-handed power hitter. |
| Free agent | Tomoo Otsuka | Outfielder | Joined the Giants after time with DeNA and the Mexican League, serving as outfield depth. |
| Free agent | Misaki Sasahara | Outfielder | Former developmental outfielder who also earned a spot on the 70-man roster. |
| Free agent | Yamato Suzuki | Outfielder | Outfielder who fought his way onto the 70-man roster mid-season. |
| Unusual free agent | Louis Okoye | Outfielder | Free agency by mutual consent without being given an outright release, as detailed below. |
In addition to these names, some developmental players have had their contracts整理ed, while others are expected to sign new developmental deals for next season. Here we have focused on players who were most familiar to fans as part of the first-team picture.
3. Louis Okoye’s “free agency without outright release” – a rare case
The departure that made the biggest headlines for the Giants this offseason was that of Louis Okoye. On November 28 the club announced on its official website that, after extensive discussions about where he should play in the future, both parties had agreed it would be best for him to have the chance to play for another team, including overseas leagues. As a result, they chose not to place his name on the reserve list submitted at the end of November, effectively granting him free agency.
Normally, players who will not be re-signed receive an outright release, after which they can take part in tryouts and look for a new team. In this case, however, the decision to grant free agency by mutual consent after the formal release period had passed was seen as highly unusual and attracted considerable media attention.
Through the club, Okoye commented:
“The club has agreed to let me pursue opportunities with other teams, including overseas leagues. I can only feel gratitude toward the fans, my managers, coaches, teammates and all the staff for these three seasons.”
Going into his 11th professional season, will he stay in Japan or take the leap overseas? Even after leaving the Giants, many fans are sure to keep following his career.
4. What have the Giants lost, and what have they gained?
As we have seen, the Giants’ 2025 offseason has brought:
- The retirements of veteran and mid-career players Chono, Kondo and Shigenobu
- The departures of key foreign pitchers and outfielders such as Griffin, Keller, Hernandez and Fulp
- Okoye’s “shock free agency” by mutual consent
In other words, it has been an offseason in which many familiar faces have left the first-team bench all at once.
In terms of pure on-field strength, the picture looks something like this:
- Losing left-handed starter Griffin means losing a pillar of the rotation
- The exits of Kondo, Baba and Takahashi Rei highlight a need to rebuild bullpen depth
- The loss of outfield depth pieces such as Chono, Shigenobu, Okoye and Otsuka accelerates a full generational shift toward younger and new players
From one perspective, this can be seen as a bold decision to deliberately reset the team’s experience level in order to accelerate that generational change. At the same time, the club has been active in the draft and in signing new foreign players, and the open roster spots will now be filled by players expected to carry the next decade.
For fans, this is undoubtedly a painful offseason of farewells. But thinking about “who will step into whose shoes” can also make next season’s spring camp and pre-season games all the more enjoyable to watch.
5. Saying goodbye in video and posts – looking back at key moments
Finally, here are a few X (Twitter) and YouTube posts that capture some of the key “farewell moments” of the Giants’ 2025 offseason, focusing as much as possible on official accounts. Depending on your environment, embedded posts may take some time to load.
Hisayoshi Chono’s retirement ceremony (Giants Fan Festa 2025)
“We held Hisayoshi Chono’s retirement ceremony at the Fan Festa!”
Daisuke Kondo’s final appearance and “farewell 2025”
“Daisuke Kondo took the mound for the final time in his career… ‘I was blessed to be surrounded by great people throughout my baseball life.’”
Louis Okoye’s unusual free agency announcement
The club’s statement explaining the mutual decision to leave him off the reserve list so he can pursue opportunities including overseas leagues.
December 2 free agent list: Griffin, Keller, Hernandez and more
A summary of the December 2 NPB free agent announcement featuring many Giants players.
For every farewell, there is a player waiting for their chance next season. As we look ahead to the new faces who will line up in the Tokyo Dome dugout in 2026, this winter’s retirements and departures deserve to be recorded as the prologue to that story.
