The Hanshin Tigers completed Friday the signing of a four-year, ¥1 billion deal with infielder Takahiro Arai, who had filed for free agency from the Hiroshima Carp.
"I feel I've got fired up with the signing and I'll try hard to live up to expectations," Arai said as he was introduced by the Tigers at a press conference. "I realize that the team and fans expect me to provide support offensively with clutch hitting."
Last month, Arai and Hanshin had reached a basic agreement on a deal in their second round of talks before the 30-year-old slugger played a major role in helping Japan book a spot in next year's Beijing Olympic Games by winning the Asian Championship earlier this week in Taiwan.
Hanshin manager Akinobu Okada hopes Arai will be the core of the Tigers lineup along with veteran slugger Tomoaki Kanemoto, who had left knee surgery earlier this offseason.
"Undoubtedly Arai will be batting in the center of our lineup. We could have to play without Kanemoto but now we've got a cleanup hitter," Okada said of Arai.