Former Seibu Lions pitcher Kimiyasu Kudo looks set to become the manager of the newly named Yokohama DeNA BayStars after being offered the job by the club's new owner Makoto Haruta on Friday.
The 48-year-old Kudo, who has no managerial experience, said he was "grateful" for the offer and wondered out loud if he could take on the role, while extending his playing career.
"Can an active player be the manager as well? Do you have to separate the two?," said Kudo, who has been training in the hope that he can continue playing since being released by Seibu last year.
Kudo said he would make a final decision after discussing the offer with his family.
Kudo, who played for Yokohama from 2007-09 and also had stints with the Daiei Hawks (now Fukuoka Softbank Hawks) and the Yomiuri Giants, has a 224-142 career record with three saves in 635 games.
He rewrote his own record after pitching in his 29th season as the oldest player in Japanese baseball last year. Kudo went 0-2 with a 10.50 ERA in just 10 games, due in part to an injured left elbow.