Posted Infielder Sato Draws Interest From Three MLB Clubs
Teruaki Sato, the Hanshin Tigers' 27-year-old third baseman, has been posted for Major League Baseball teams, opening a window for any club to negotiate and sign him. The left-handed slugger was named the Central League's Most Valuable Player for the 2025 season and has also seen extensive time in right field.
Over the 2025 and 2026 seasons, Sato averaged 39.5 home runs and 104 RBIs annually for Hanshin. He posted a .306/.383/.609 slash line last season, with all three figures representing career highs. He also hit three doubles and batted .300 with a .417 on-base percentage and .600 slugging mark for Japan at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Scouting reports describe him as a hitter with power to all fields who feasts on pitches in the upper half of the strike zone. ante post betting
Three teams stand out as plausible fits given their roster situations. The Philadelphia Phillies could have an opening at third base, with infielders Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa and Luis Arráez all set to be free agents, while the club ranked 24th in MLB in slugging percentage and 23rd in on-base percentage last season. The Seattle Mariners, who won just 76 games a year after reaching Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, ranked 29th in batting average and 28th in runs, hits and slugging percentage, and saw presumptive third baseman Brendan Donovan limited to 38 games by injury. The New York Yankees have flexibility at both second and third base, with Ryan McMahon better suited to a utility role after hitting .213 last season and Jazz Chisholm Jr. entering free agency, even as the club's offense led MLB in barrel percentage and ranked second in home runs.
Each scenario carries uncertainty. Philadelphia may instead prioritize its bullpen or re-sign existing infielders; Seattle could bank on a healthy Donovan and a broader offensive rebound; and the Yankees must weigh Sato's fit alongside Aaron Judge's recent injury history, with the three-time MVP appearing in just 66 games last season. Any team signing Sato would be betting on a player entering his prime coming from Nippon Professional Baseball, a transition that has produced mixed results across the sport's history.
