<figure id="attachment_457571" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-457571" style="width: 2148px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="51d0fc67"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/557be9fbde7a4e142e8507a75c6a9798.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-457571" class="wp-caption-text">On February 1, he showed off his nimble defense with a smile</figcaption></figure>
<h2> Until 2029&#8230;&#8221;</h2>
 Hanshin&#8217;s Teruaki Sato, 26, who avoided the &#8220;self-financed camp&#8221; at the last minute and entered the camp, has been practicing in Ginoza village in Okinawa since February 1, where the first team spends the day.
 The team&#8217;s one-year salary increase is the highest in the team&#8217;s history, surpassing Tomonori Kanemoto (57), and in terms of salary alone, it is second only to Koji Chikamoto (31) at 500 million yen. The &#8220;Sato side&#8221; is the one that is the most important. In this case, Sato&#8217;s side won outright.
 Furthermore, the fact that he signed a one-year contract means that he can negotiate for posting next season. If the posting is approved, his dream will come true, and even if it is not, his salary will go up.
 At a press conference held on January 31 at his lodgings in Okinawa Prefecture, he smiled and said, &#8220;I am happy to have made it to today. The reason why the contract renewal has been delayed this long is because Sato strongly hopes to challenge the Major League Baseball in the United States.
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 He said, &#8220;I would like to go there in the near future. He reiterated, &#8220;I would like to take time to talk about it in the future. On the other hand, Takayuki Takeuchi, the team&#8217;s deputy general manager who was in charge of negotiations, emphasized that the discussions had ended on a parallel track, saying, &#8216;There is no doubt that it is the right of the baseball team to make a posting. The team has said that it will hold talks with the postings team during the season, but I do not believe that the talks will proceed smoothly.
 A source at an Osaka station that has been covering the Hanshin team for a long time said in a hushed voice, &#8220;Sato has his sights set on a move to the majors.
 The VC Sports Group, which is trusted by many big leaguers, has signed a contract with Sato as his agent with a view to moving to the major leagues. VC Sports Group, which is trusted by many big leaguers, has been negotiating with the team about allowing Sato to post. Some of the team&#8217;s executives are taking a hard look at Sato&#8217;s aggressive stance, saying, &#8220;You are mistaken if you think you can get anything passed if you make a big show of force, even if it is only once. Some of the team&#8217;s executives are taking a hard look at Sato&#8217;s side.
 Furthermore, a senior executive in charge of the Hanshin team at Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, the team&#8217;s parent company, is also growing angry, saying, &#8220;In his haste to challenge the Majors, he is disrespecting the team. Even if Sato moves to the majors, the money he will receive is negligible.
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 The anger of the executives seems to be considerable. &#8230;&#8230;
 The team&#8217;s morale would suffer if the face of the team were to go to camp at his own expense, so the team has softened its stance on the matter. The earliest Sato can get his overseas FA rights is 2029, when he will be 30 years old at the earliest. Posting is not allowed! I will definitely let him work for another three years.
 Former manager Akifu Okada, who is the &#8220;foster parent&#8221; of Sato, also quipped off the record, &#8220;I wonder what Teru is thinking &#8230;&#8230;. Sato is a star representing the baseball world, so I hope he will challenge his dream in an amicable manner,&#8230;&#8230;.
 It seems that the team&#8217;s aggressive negotiation has caught the opposite end of the stick.

 Kyodo News

 Hanshin's Teruaki Sato (26), who avoided the "self-financed camp" at the last minute, has been training at Ginoza Village in Okinawa since February 1, but the firestorm of a dispute with the team is still simmering.

I won&#8217;t let him go for another three years!&#8221; Hanshin executives are furious over Teruaki Sato&#8217;s &#8220;overwhelming victory&#8221; in contract negotiations&#8230; &#8220;He is disrespecting the baseball team.

I won’t let him go for another three years!” Hanshin executives are furious over Teruaki Sato’s “overwhelming victory” in contract negotiations… “He is disrespecting the baseball team.

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