Hanshin Tigers said Tuesday that right-hander Tetsuro Kawajiri, whose name has been removed from the team's spring training roster, will meet officials on Thursday to decide whether he will stay with the club or be put up for auction.
Kawajiri, who requested that the Central League club put him up for sale to the major leagues under the posting system, has arranged the meeting to finalize talks which have stalled since the Osaka club told Kawajiri that it disapproves of his plan.
"We'll definitely reach a conclusion then (because) training begins on Feb. 1," Hanshin president Katsuyoshi Nozaki said.
Kawajiri, 33, wants to be put up for auction by Hanshin under the system which allows major league clubs to bid for the right to negotiate with a player belonging to a Japanese club.
Kawajiri finished last season, his seventh with the Tigers, with a 1-6 record and a 6.38 ERA.