Lotte Marines outfielder Akito Takabe attended contract negotiations at ZOZO Marine Stadium on the 17th and signed a contract for an estimated annual salary of 50 million yen, a 17 million yen increase.

At the press conference, he revealed that his uniform number "38" until this season will be changed to "0" from next season. Since Ogino, whom he admired, left the team at the end of this season, he consulted Ogino to give up number. "It's not for me (Ogino) to decide, but I was told that I would be happy if (Takabe) carried it on my back, so I took the plunge and asked the club," he explained.

This season, he has played in 111 games with a batting average of .286, 2 Home Run, 34 RBI, and 20 stolen base. In 2022, he won stolen base title with 44 stolen base and a Golden Glove Award, and he renewed his resolve, saying, "I want to aim for stolen base title, most hit, Golden Glove, and Best Nine. I have nothing but positive feelings, and I think of it as starting from scratch. I think it will be a lot of weight, but I hope to make number 0 my own."