Pros and Cons: Should the Mets sign Teruaki Sato?

The last time the Mets made a big splash by signing a position player from Japan was the only time they made a big splash signing a position player from Japan.

It was the 2003-04 offseason, and the player was Kaz Matsui , a power-hitting superstar infielder. The signing of Matsui was enormous at the time since it came on the heels of Ichiro Suzuki being the first-ever Japanese position player to be posted and signed by an MLB team -- in 2001 with the Mariners, when he won the MVP award. Shortly after Suzuki arrived, Hideki Matsui inked a deal with the Yankees during the 2002-03 offseason and made an immediate impact in the majors.

The Mets had signed a Japanese position player before, landing the flashy outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo ahead of the 2001 season. But Shinjo, while a fun player, was not viewed as a difference-maker.

Kaz Matsui was, though he didn't live up to the hype. He had a respectable .727 OPS in 2004 but flamed out quickly in New York, with a .670 OPS in 255 games over parts of three seasons before he was traded to Colorado in June of 2006. Matsui had some solid years for the Rockies and Astros later in his career, but never hit more than nine home runs in a season -- a massive disappointment after blasting 30-plus homers in back-to-back seasons for the Seibu Lions in Japan before coming to the majors.

Since Matsui, the Mets have been active in the Japanese market, but it has been limited to pitchers -- most recently the signing of Kodai Senga and strong pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto before he landed with the Dodgers.

Meanwhile, Japanese position players have continued to wind up elsewhere.

Most recently, Shohei Ohtani went to the Angels and then the Dodgers (refusing to even consider an East Coast team), Seiya Suzuki signed with the Cubs, Kazuma Okamoto landed with the Blue Jays, and Munetaka Murakami inked a deal with the White Sox.

Another crop of Japanese stars is about to hit the open market this offseason, and slugging infielder Teruaki Sato could be a strong fit for New York.

Should the Mets pursue Sato? Here are the pros and cons...

Sato has reached another level offensively over the last two seasons for the Hanshin Tigers.

He smacked 40 homers and 34 doubles while posting a .924 OPS in 2025 as he won the Central League MVP award. Sato followed that up in 2026 with another monster season. In 143 games, he slashed .306/.383/.609 with 39 home runs, 40 doubles, 100 runs scored, and 106 RBI -- winning the Triple Crown in the process.

Sato also excelled in a small sample against international competition in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, hitting .300/.417/.600 with three doubles in 12 plate appearances.

A look at Sato's advanced stats doesn't reveal any glaring issues. While he has a propensity to strike out (he fanned 164 times in 143 games in 2026), his strikeout percentage has been quite steady since 2023 -- and it actually ticked down a bit from 2025 (27.3 percent) to 2026 (26.7 percent) as his power output increased. Sato's BABIP in 2026 (.370) was a career high, so there should be some regression there. But his BABIP has always trended relatively high (.343 in 2024, .323 in 2025).

When it comes to durability, Sato has been a rock of sorts, appearing in 132 or more games in each of his first six seasons.

Sato also has youth on his side, as he'll be playing the entire 2027 season at just 28 years old.

While Sato has been primarily a third baseman and corner outfielder in Japan, many experts believe his defensive home in the majors will be at first base.

If Sato is indeed destined for first base, it would make him an ideal fit for a Mets team that still has a huge hole at the position. Jared Young performed admirably there this past season with Jorge Polanco injured and Mark Vientos ineffective, but Young -- who doesn't have much power and struggles against left-handed pitching -- might profile better in a reserve role.

While Sato might fit better at first base than third base, that doesn't mean he can definitely handle the position. At the same time, plenty of players have made a successful transition across the diamond, so there should be hope that a relatively athletic player like Sato can do it.

Another possible knock against Sato -- strictly when it comes to a possible Mets pursuit -- is that he hits from the left side of the plate.

The Mets are already very left-handed, with Juan Soto , Carson Benge , and A.J. Ewing among their key offensive cogs. But they do have some variety with the switch-hitting Francisco Lindor , both of their catchers ( Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens ), and Bo Bichette (if he opts in to his contract) all hitting from the right side.

As is noted above, Sato's strikeout rate for Hanshin in 2026 was 26.7 percent (164 K's in 143 games).

In 2024, in what was his last full season playing in Japan, Murakami's strikeout rate was 29.5 percent (180 in 143 games). In 69 games in 2025, Murakami's strikeout rate was 28.6 percent (71 in 69 games). In his first season for the White Sox, Murakami fanned a whopping 196 times in 127 games -- a rate of 35.4 percent.

Even though it's fair to expect Sato's strikeout rate to tick up as he transitions to the majors, there's no reason to believe it will be as stark as Murakami's increase.

In any event, even while striking out as often as he did in 2026, Murakami was still very valuable for Chicago, posting an .825 OPS (130 OPS+) and cracking 35 homers in 127 games.

With the Mets seemingly locked in at most positions on the diamond, the easiest way to move the needle offensively is to add someone to play first base or be the regular designated hitter. And with there being serious drawbacks to adding a DH-only player, the target should be first base.

There are other intriguing first basemen set to be on the free agent market, including Ty France . But none of them possess the upside of Sato.

Sato obviously comes with some risk, but it's time for the Mets to take a big swing on a high upside talent.