According to SNY.com’s Chelsea Janes, New York Mets president of baseball operations, David Stears, visited Japan very shortly after the Mets’ 2026 season ended to watch top Japanese free agent Teruaki Sato.
“You don’t make that trip if you aren’t seriously considering making a push for him,” Janes wrote.
Janes also noted to ‘not’ rule out Teruaki Sato as a big addition this offseason for the Mets. If you remember last offseason, the Mets were closely linked to star Japanese sluggers like Kazuma Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami, but eventually fell flat in both of those pursuits.
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More on Teruaki Sato…
If you have not heard of Teruaki Sato, he is projected to be one of the top free agents this offseason in MLB after Nippon Professional Baseball’s Hanshin Tigers officially announced it has agreed to post Sato earlier this month.
MLBTR.com’s Mark Polishuk wrote (about Sato):
“Sato is relatively young (turning 28 in March), can play both third base and right field, and he has been arguably the best hitter in Nippon Professional Baseball over the last two seasons. That said, Sato isn’t considered a strong defender at either position, his strikeout and contact rates leave something to be desired, and there is the standard uncertainty over how star NPB players will adjust to Major League Baseball. These concerns notwithstanding, Sato figures to benefit within a free agent class that is pretty thin on premium hitters. While Sato posted good power numbers over his first four seasons with the Tigers, he kicked things up a notch in 2025-26, winning MVP honors last season and very likely a repeat this year.”
In 2026, Sato won NPB’s triple crown with 39 home runs, 106 RBI, and a batting average of .306.
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