Offseasons in NPB are about change, just not exactly the type that immediately springs to mind.
Japanese baseball has seen some big-name players change teams this winter. Two-time reigning Central League MVP Yoshihiro Maru is suiting up for the Yomiuri Giants next season and All-Star second baseman Hideto Asamura is now part of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Still, on the whole, there's usually less player movement in Japan than in MLB. What does keep fans, and jersey makers, on their toes during the offseason is all the players who change numbers — a few even change their names — each year.
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