The Rakuten Eagles officially announced that they signed Takashi Saito to a contract for the 2013 season and assigned him the number forty-four.  According to a number of reports, the two sides agreed to a one-year deal worth thirty million yen plus incentives.

Source: official announcement, Nikkan Sports 12/29/2012, Daily Sports 12/29/2012, Sponichi 12/29/2012