Why Yankees Should Make Teruaki Sato One of Their Offseason Priorities

Out of all the New York Yankees' glaring needs to address this offseason, arguably the biggest one is to upgrade at third base.

It's obvious Ryan McMahon isn't the answer for the Yankees. His bat has been a complete disaster, and his defense at third wasn't much better. McMahon is also set to make $16 million next season, which will scare away most trade partners. At this point, it's more likely the Bronx Bombers cut the 31-year-old and eat the remaining salary.

Finding an upgrade at the hot corner won't be easy for the Yankees, though. They could roll with Jose Caballero and/or Anthony Volpe, but the former didn't look particularly impressive at third, while the latter lacks both experience and arm strength. The Yankees could look to trade for a third baseman like Isaac Paredes. But it's unclear whether the Astros would be interested in trading him, let alone to an American League rival.

The free agent market is also very thin at third base. Arguably the best option is Alec Bohm, who was worth just 0.2 fWAR in 2026. It's also unlikely Bo Bichette hits the market given his down season with the Mets.

However, the third base market does have a clear top option this offseason. The Yankees have to look over at Japan instead of North America.

Teruaki Sato could be the Yankees' ideal third baseman

On Monday, the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball announced that third baseman Teruaki Sato will be posted during the winter. Sato, a 27-year-old left-handed hitter, won the Central League Triple Crown by hitting .306 with 39 home runs, 106 RBI, and a .991 OPS.

The Yankees have already made their interest known by sending scouts to watch Sato during the NPB postseason. A left-handed power bat naturally makes Sato an attractive fit for the Yankees, since he'd play 81 games in Yankee Stadium with the Short Porch in right field calling his name.

What makes Sato truly attractive, though, is his steady improvement at the plate while playing in NPB's pitching-friendly environment. Aside from a regression in 2024 (.766 OPS), Sato's OPS has climbed from one season to the next. It's gone from .749 in 2021 to .798 in 2022 and .837 in 2023. Even after his down 2024, the lefty responded with 40 home runs and a .924 OPS in 2025 before putting up his best numbers yet in 2026.

This season marked Sato's first time hitting over .300, while he also drew a career-high 68 walks. He also posted a 26.7% strikeout rate, his lowest rate since 2023. In sharp contrast to the free-agent market, which contains third basemen largely past their prime, Sato's best days look to be ahead of him in MLB.

However, there are two concerns about Sato's skills: his fielding and plate discipline. Regarding his defense, he hasn't been particularly impressive at the hot corner despite winning a Mitsui Golden Glove in 2025; he had a .937 fielding percentage with 18 errors this year. While he can play right field, it wouldn't be ideal for Sato to become a first baseman, considering the Yankees already have Ben Rice and/or Luis Garcia Jr. there.

Then there's Sato's plate discipline, which the Yankees should prioritize improving if they get him. Even with his higher walk total and lower strikeout total in 2026, his strikeout total will likely climb when Sato arrives in MLB and adjusts to a significantly different environment.

This is what happened to Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox, who already carried strikeout concerns when transitioning to MLB. He struck out at a whopping 35.4% clip yet remained productive overall thanks to a 16.6% walk rate and his elite power.

The Yankees already have a ton of strikeout-prone bats in the lineup, but what made that a problem was the low on-base percentages from most of those hitters. So if Sato can at least counterbalance his tendency to strike out with improved on-base skills and his excellent power, he would be a net positive for the Yankees' offense.

Because of those concerns, there's some risk involved for the Yankees when pursuing Sato. The Bronx Bombers won't be the only team interested in his services; expect the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets to be in the sweepstakes.

However, third base is the Yankees' biggest weakness at the moment, and they need to be strong at all positions if they want to win a World Series in the Aaron Judge era. Judge himself wants the front office to go "all-in" on improving the roster, and signing Sato this winter would be a fantastic step toward building an ideal roster.

Get Yankees On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.