The Hanshin Tigers said on Monday, 19 October, that they will let infielder Teruaki Sato, 27, use the posting system toward Major League Baseball. Club director Shimamura told a news conference the team would back his try from next season. That is permission for a procedure, not a contract with an MLB club.

Applications open on 1 November. The deadline, under the Japan–U.S. player contract agreement, is 15 December. Daily Sports: Sato told the club as far back as the 2024 off-season that he wanted to try America. International free agency would come, at the earliest, in 2029. Without posting, the move would wait.

Shimamura called the decision heavy for the club. A player’s strong wish, he said, is not enough: the club keeps the last word. He spoke of a setting in which supporters can back the step, not of a deal already signed. Kyodo: Sato is this season’s Triple Crown winner.

The 2026 line, still Daily: a .306 average, 39 home runs, 106 RBIs. The ninth Triple Crown in NPB history. In 2025 he took the home-run and RBI titles. Hanshin also won back-to-back; Shimamura thanked him for helping three championships in six years. We have not turned a stat line into a roster spot in America.

Posting opens the door: MLB clubs can negotiate in the legal window. We do not know who will bid, or whether a deal closes. A 17 October report spoke of a positive lean; Monday brought the official notice. We have not written Toronto, or any other city, as a destination.

Until a contract is signed, Sato remains a Hanshin player. Koshien is the stadium, not a signature. If the window passes without a deal, he stays in NPB. That is the limit of this text.

Image: Hanshin Koshien Stadium, 9 August 2022, Edogawa-mura no Tokuzo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. Not Monday’s news conference.

Sources consulted: Hanshin approves Teruaki Sato’s posting-system move to MLB — Daily Sports; Baseball: Hanshin's Triple Crown winner Sato to be posted for MLB move — Kyodo News.