Teruaki Sato signs a one-year contract worth 500 million yen; negotiations regarding his challenge to MLB remain ongoing.

On the eve of spring training starting February 1st, the Hanshin Tigers' 26-year-old key hitter Teruaki Sato finalized salary negotiations with the team, signing a one-year deal. According to Japanese media, his total annual salary plus incentives is expected to reach 500 million yen (approximately 3.23 million USD). However, his goal to challenge Major League Baseball through the posting system remains unchanged, and further discussions with the team will continue.

Last year, Teruaki Sato won the Central League MVP by leading in home runs and RBIs. After the 2024 season, he expressed his intention to enter MLB through the posting system. Throughout the offseason, his agency maintained communication with the club, but as no agreement was reached, contract talks previously stalled.

As spring training approaches, Sato had faced the possibility of attending at his own expense due to the unsettled contract. After the Hanshin Tigers arrived at their Okinawa training camp today, Sato held a press conference at the hotel, revealing that he had completed the contract renewal on January 30th. He noted that the main points under repeated negotiation were salary terms and posting system arrangements.

Reports indicate Sato’s salary last season was about 150 million yen, and this time he received a significant raise, with total salary and incentives reaching 500 million yen. This brings the number of Hanshin Tigers players earning over 200 million yen annually to ten, surpassing the SoftBank Hawks’ record from 2016 to 2018 and setting a new high in Japanese professional baseball.

These ten players include: Koji Chikamoto (500 million yen), Yusuke Oyama (340 million yen), Takumu Nakano (300 million yen), Yuki Nishi (300 million yen), Hiroto Saiki (250 million yen), Shoki Murakami (230 million yen), Shota Morishita (210 million yen), Yu Iwasaki (200 million yen), Daichi Ishii (200 million yen), and Teruaki Sato.

Regarding his aim to challenge MLB through the posting system, Teruaki Sato stated that he will continue to have in-depth discussions with the team: "I will keep spending time communicating thoroughly with the club about this matter."

As the last player among the 12 NPB teams to finalize salary negotiations this season, Teruaki Sato commented: "The talks took quite some time, which might have caused concern for many. Now that the contract is done, starting tomorrow I will fully dedicate myself to training as a member of the Hanshin Tigers."