SoftBank Hawks outfielder Yuki Yanagita, the highest-paid position player in Japanese baseball, signed Tuesday for an estimated 620 million yen ($4.52 million) for 2023, the fourth year of his seven-year contract with the Pacific League club. His annual salary remains unchanged from a year earlier after the 34-year-old Yanagita batted .275 with 24 home runs and 79 RBIs in 117 games for his 2022, which was interrupted by a neck injury and coronavirus infection. That offensive production represented a drop from 2021 when he batted .300 with 28 homers and 80 RBIs in 141 games. "It was terrible," ...
