Former Yomiuri Giants batting coach Kiyoshi Nakahata is set to become the first manager of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, baseball sources said Wednesday.
The BayStars, whose ownership change was approved by baseball team owners last week, have received a positive response from the 57-year-old Nakahata regarding their job offer.
An official announcement is expected within days after the two sides work out details.
Nakahata said in Tokyo that he has not received an official offer from the BayStars.
But asked what he thought about managing, Nakahata said, "I've wanted to manage a team for years. That hasn't changed at all."
BayStars general manager Shigeru Takada turned to Nakahata after he was unable to reach agreement with former Seibu Lions pitcher Kimiyasu Kudo in the final stages of negotiations on issues such as the acquisition of players.