An important offseason awaits for the Toronto Blue Jays.
A year after making it to extra innings in Game 7 of the World Series, they missed the playoffs entirely in 2026. That puts pressure on the decision makers to find the right signings and moves to get the Blue Jays back on track in 2027 — lockout pending, of course.
One of those moves might involve going to Japan.
The Blue Jays have already been linked to Teruaki Sato, and new comments on Wednesday continue to make that connection seem quite possible.
Blue Jays Hint at Teruaki Sato
Mark Shapiro, the Blue Jays’ president and CEO, spoke to reporters on Wednesday in a season-ending press conference.
He made it clear that they’ll continue to look at Japan to grow their brand — not just for talent, but for overall growth of the franchise.
This is what MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson shared on Shapiro’s comments:
Mark Shapiro says the #BlueJays will send a contingency to Japan this offseason and he may travel there, too, as they look to expand their presence (both baseball and business).
He added that the Japanese market will obviously be something they explore again this winter.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) September 30, 2026
Obviously, Shapiro doesn’t specifically say that the Blue Jays are going to head to Japan and negotiate with Sato.
But given the importance Toronto seems to be placing on the Japanese market, Sato would be the perfect addition to help their cause there.
Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith recently wrote this about Sato:
“While Sato has primarily played third base this season, he also has experience as a corner outfielder and his offensive numbers — 37 home runs and a 1.012 OPS — can’t be ignored. The Blue Jays have early interest in those two among others; the question is how serious that interest becomes and to what extent it’s reciprocated.”
What To Know About Teruaki Sato
Teruaki Sato is a 27-year old, lefty-hitting slugger from Japan.
He has spent his entire professional career playing for the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball, which is widely regarded as the second-best baseball league in the world behind MLB.
This has been Sato’s best season yet. He has a .315 average in 136 games with 39 doubles, three triples, 37 home runs and 100 RBI. His OPS was a career-best 1.012.
Sato didn’t hit for as much average in 2025 (.277), but he did slug 40 homers and drive in 102 runs.
And at this spring’s World Baseball Classic, Sato went 3-for-10 — all three hits being doubles.
The big thing teams will be trying to figure out with Sato is his contact ability, much like they wondered with Munetaka Murakami, now with the White Sox.
Murakami’s swing-and-miss has followed him to MLB, making him quite streaky. Sato struck out 156 times in 136 games this year, and 163 times in 139 games last year. Given that NPB’s pitchers don’t have the velocity or stuff of MLB’s arms, that’s not ideal.
But teams like the Blue Jays will be looking more deeply into Sato’s swing itself to determine just how good he can be in MLB. It sure seems like Toronto is invested in trying to find out.
Blue Jays Hint at Teruaki Sato Signing