Active Draft Round 2 opened up to “release-only” entries – what NPB hopes to gain from the rule change
On 3 December 2025, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) announced that it had revised and clarified the rules for Round 2 of the 2025 Active Draft, scheduled for 9 December. Under the new framework, clubs will be allowed to take part in the second round even if they do not intend to draft a player themselves – in other words, they can participate solely for the purpose of releasing a player.
Head of NPB’s Rules & Regulations Department Motomi Hoshina explained that the adjustment was made in response to requests from the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association (JPBPA), saying that the league “wanted to create a format that allows all 12 clubs to make the most of their respective needs, so that as many deals and as many player moves as possible can be realised.” Players Association chairman Tsubasa Aizawa also welcomed the change as “a step toward increasing the number of transfers.”
What exactly changed? Before/after of the Active Draft Round 2 rules
The key point this time is that eligibility and “stance” in Round 2 have been clearly organised. Until now, only clubs intending to draft a player were allowed to take part in the second round. From 2025 onwards, teams that do not want to draft but do want to make players available will also be able to participate.
| Item | Old rule (–2024) | New rule (from 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Round 2 participation conditions | Only clubs that notified the chairperson that they “intend to draft” could join Round 2. | After the end of Round 1, each club must e-mail one of three options: A: “Participate (intend to draft)” B: “Participate (no draft intention)” C: “Do not participate”. |
| Release-only participation | Not explicitly envisaged or stipulated in the rules. | Clubs may choose B “Participate (no draft intention)” and take part solely to make their own players available to other teams. |
| Round 2 track record | No second-round picks in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, only Hiroshima made a Round 2 selection. | The aim is to increase the number of transfers by making it easier to use Round 2. |
In simple terms, Round 2 will now work with three clearly declared stances:
- Clubs that want to draft a player: A “Participate (intend to draft)”
- Clubs that mainly want to release players: B “Participate (no draft intention)”
- Clubs that do not need to draft or release: C “Do not participate”
Based on those declarations, the draft chair can build a second round that flexibly combines both “inbound” and “outbound” moves.
What is the Active Draft in the first place? A quick recap and examples
The Active Draft was introduced in December 2022 with the aim of revitalising the transfer market for players who struggle to get first-team opportunities. From lists submitted by each club, other teams are obliged to draft at least one player, creating a mechanism that has already produced several “breakout in a new environment” success stories.
| Year | Key players drafted | Destination | Notable achievements after transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Kotaro Otake (LHP) | SoftBank → Hanshin | Won 12 games the following season and played a major role in Hanshin’s league title and Japan Series win. |
| 2022 | Seiya Hosokawa (OF) | DeNA → Chunichi | Hit over 20 home runs and established himself as a middle-of-the-order bat. |
| 2022 | Rui Okoye (OF) | Rakuten → Yomiuri | Increased his first-team appearances and contributed as a pinch-runner, defensive replacement and occasional starter. |
| 2023–24 | Multiple pitchers and position players | Various | Helped clubs plug bullpen holes, add infield depth and make targeted upgrades. |
On the other hand, Round 2 has hardly been used at all – despite existing on paper, it has been a “sleeping lane” of the system. The latest clarification of the rules can be seen as an attempt to wake this second lane up and make it function in practice.
From the Players Association’s viewpoint: “Even one more successful transfer matters”
The Japan Professional Baseball Players Association has long argued for a more active use of the Active Draft. Their key objectives have been:
- Increase the number of players who are actually transferred.
- Reduce the number of players stuck in “salted away” status without opportunities.
- Support the career development of young to mid-career players.
While the union has expressed reservations about other topics – such as the introduction of extra-inning tiebreak rules in the minors – it has evaluated the clarification of Round 2 in positive terms as “a step toward more completed transfers.” On this point, the interests of clubs and players are unusually aligned in the same direction.
How fans and media reacted on X and YouTube
Reactions on social media quickly followed the announcement. Daily Sports Online reported the rule change as breaking news, highlighting NPB’s intention to “make use of the needs of all 12 clubs” and “increase the number of completed transfers.”
“NPB revises rules to expand the Active Draft’s second round – ‘we want as many deals as possible’.”
Popular baseball analyst accounts also posted easy-to-understand summaries of the new format and the schedule for the 2025 draft, and some YouTube channels released detailed videos analysing what kinds of players might be moved via a more flexible second round.
Even so, the Active Draft is not a “magic wand”
Even with a more flexible Round 2, the Active Draft will not magically solve every structural issue in NPB roster management. There are still practical realities such as:
- Clubs have players they would rather not send to rivals but are reluctant to release outright.
- Some players themselves prefer to stay put rather than move.
- Salary level, role on the team and family circumstances cannot be reduced to a simple “more playing time” equation.
The Active Draft should be viewed as one option for facilitating transfers, not a system that will automatically make everyone happy. That said, the success stories of players who likely would have stayed buried on the bench until their thirties without the draft make the system’s potential clear.
The question now is whether the clarified Round 2 rules can more effectively connect:
- Players who say “I just want one more real chance.”
- Clubs that say “we’re one right-handed reliever short” or “we need one more utility infielder.”
On 9 December, when the 2025 Active Draft takes place, it will be worth paying attention not only to which players are selected but also to how each of the 12 clubs chooses its Round 2 stance – A, B or C – and what that reveals about their true intentions.
