Blue Jays ‘linked’ to Japanese Triple Crown-winning slugger after disappointing season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Toronto Blue Jays are in a position where they'll have to improve on both sides of the baseball this offseason, and there's a lot of reason to believe that the organization is going to do just that.
While some have been frustrated by the lack of moves the Blue Jays have made in recent years, we can't say that's because they aren't trying. The Blue Jays always try to improve, and we have to give them kudos for it.
Even when times get tough and the organization has to spend extra money, the Blue Jays have shown they're willing to spend as much as any team in Major League Baseball outside the Los Angeles Dodgers.
As for other players who could be available this offseason, there's hope that Teruaki Sato, a third baseman from Japan, will be available.
The Blue Jays have dipped into that Japanese market in recent years, landing Kazuma Okamoto last offseason.
According to the latest, the Blue Jays could be in the mix to bring over another star in Sato.
“Going back to the Japanese market, Toronto has been linked to Teruaki Sato, a third baseman with experience in the corner outfield,” Ethan Miller wrote. “Sato brings more power than any of the previously listed names, having hit 39 home runs for the Hanshin Tigers this season. He’s not just a one-way threat, either; he won the NPB Triple Crown, leading the league in batting average (.306) and RBIs (106).”
Sato can swing it with the best of them, proving throughout his time in Japan that he has light-tower power.
Some worry he won't get posted, since that's typically figured out over the next couple of weeks to months, but reports indicate there's an expectation he'll be posted. If it happens, multiple teams should be interested, with the Blue Jays at the top of that list.
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