OSAKA, JAPAN – MARCH 02: Teruaki Sato #7 of Japan reacts after strikes out in the second inning during the exhibition game between Orix Buffaloes and Japan at Kyocera Dome Osaka on March 2, 2026 in Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Getty Images)

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Tyler Erzberger

By Tyler Erzberger

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Last offseason was awkward for Japanese stars coming over from their domestic league to Major League Baseball.

And while Tatsuya Imai has been a wreck so far for the Houston Astros, Munetaka Murakami is setting the league on fire with his MLB-leading 13 home runs for the Chicago White Sox. Kazuma Okamoto has also turned around a slow start to his MLB season with the Toronto Blue Jays, now with nine home runs of his own north of the border.

Even with a possible lockout on the horizon, though, there's a shining prize that almost every team will be interested in this offseason: Teruaki Sato.

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OSAKA, JAPAN - MARCH 06: Teruaki Sato (R) #8 of Samurai Japan is replaced in the top of the fifth inning during the game between Samurai Japan and Netherlands at Kyocera Dome Osaka on March 06, 2025 in Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Gene Wang/Getty Images)

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Sato, of the Hanshin Tigers, is 27 years old and was already considered arguably the best hitter and all-around player in Japan last year. Although there were rumors he might try to get posted to the MLB last season, nothing concrete ever surfaced.

But in 2026? He's been unstoppable in Japan, where hits are at a premium. Sato is currently batting .405 with eight home runs.

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He had 40 home runs last year for the Tigers and is on pace to break that this season with even better contact to the ball, as he leads the NPB in almost every offensive statistical category.

If he keeps up this play throughout the season, and the Tigers decide to post him to MLB teams this coming offseason, there's a chance he is the most sought-after position player in an extremely weak market.

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In an upcoming market where fellow Japanese slugger Seiya Suzuki might be the top prize, Sato could be set up for a record-breaking contract from a team needing an extra piece to put them over the top.

Murakami and Okamoto didn't reach the nine-digit category, but Sato, playing some of the best baseball on the planet right now, regardless of league, certainly can.

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