Orix Buffaloes infielder Norihiro Nakamura could not reach a contract agreement Friday after a sixth round of talks failed, making his imminent departure from the Pacific League club official.
A day earlier, Nakamura, 33, decided to meet with the Orix top brass one more time accompanied by his agent, Hitoshi Mogitate, to discuss the team's offer after he failed to produce a deal on five previous occasions.
"Basically, I wanted to play for Orix, but there were too many differences of opinion in the talks and this is the result," Nakamura said.
"I am glad that I took part in these negotiations. I have to look forward now," he added, saying he will either be traded to another team or released by Orix.
In advanced negotiations, Orix offered a new deal that included a pay decrease of 60 percent for an annual salary of just 80 million yen, and no agreement could be reached in the talks that followed Nakamura's decision to leave the team Tuesday.