Yomiuri Giants outfielder Hideki Matsui signed a new one-year contract Tuesday with the Central League club for an annual salary of 610 million yen, becoming the best-paid player in Japanese baseball history.
Matsui, a cleanup hitter who won the league batting title this season with a .333 average, inked the record deal after he was offered a 110 million yen pay raise at the club's office in Tokyo.
"I don't really feel like I just became the most expensive player. Next season, I'd like to shoot for all three major (batting) titles and then declare myself a free agent," Matsui said.