Hiroshima Toyo Carp catcher Shogo Sakakura has decided to exercise his domestic free-agent rights and was expected to submit the paperwork to the club on Nov. 5, Nikkan Sports, Hochi and TV Shin-Hiroshima (via FNN) reported.
Key points
- Sakakura, 28, would be the first catcher in Carp history to declare free agency, according to Nikkan Sports.
- The Chiba Lotte Marines and Saitama Seibu Lions are reportedly interested. Sakakura is from Chiba Prefecture, home of the Marines.
- Hiroshima allows players to re-sign after declaring and plans to keep negotiating with him, both Nikkan Sports and Hochi reported.
- He is the second Carp player to declare this offseason, a day after ace Masato Morishita. Players who file will be announced on Nov. 10, and other clubs can begin talks after that.
The numbers
A fourth-round pick out of Nichidai Sanko High School in the 2016 draft, Sakakura finished second in the Central League in batting in 2021 and became Hiroshima’s regular catcher from 2023. This season he played 140 games, 121 of them as the cleanup hitter, and hit .251 with 15 home runs and a career-high 74 RBIs, which led the team, according to Hochi.
He mostly played first and third base this year, making only 16 starts behind the plate, the last on April 18.
With an estimated salary of 140 million yen, he is expected to be a Rank B free agent, meaning a signing club would owe Hiroshima player or cash compensation, the reports said.
(Information as of 1:30 p.m. JST, Nov. 5)
Related: Carp ace Masato Morishita files for domestic free agency, keeps MLB dream alive