Fukuoka Softbank Hawks left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada and Hawks shortstop Munenori Kawasaki will aim to move to the major leagues as free agents, baseball sources said on Wednesday.
Both players reportedly completed free agency procedures the same day and are set to announce their decisions on Thursday.
Wada, 30, joined the then-Daiei Hawks on a pre-draft arrangement in 2003 and won Rookie of the Year that season. He posted double-digit wins for five straight years from his rookie season.
Kawasaki, 30, was drafted in the fourth round in 2000 and became Softbank's regular shortstop from 2003. He claimed the stolen bases title (42) and the title for most hits (171) in 2004.
Kawasaki has a career .294 batting average with 27 home runs, 369 RBIs and 267 stolen bases in 1,145 games.