The Boston Red Sox are already being tied to one of the most intriguing names heading into free agency, and they’re not alone. The New York Yankees are in the mix too.
In a Tuesday column for The Athletic ranking the top 40 players headed to the open market, Jim Bowden linked both clubs to Teruaki Sato, a 27-year-old slugger who just put together a monster season in Japan. Bowden called him the first Japanese position player since Hideki Matsui, 23 years ago, to win the MVP Award in the Nippon Professional Baseball league and then join an MLB team the next season.
“Sato won the league’s Triple Crown this year, slashing .306/.383/.609 with 40 doubles, 39 homers and 106 RBIs. ... Best team fits: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox. Contract prediction: 5 years, $180 million.”
That’s a massive number for a player who hasn’t taken a major league at-bat yet, but there’s no denying the production. In 143 games in 2026, Sato hit .306/.383/.609 with a .991 OPS, 39 home runs, 106 RBIs, eight stolen bases, 40 doubles and three triples. He won the Triple Crown in the NPB Central League and split his time between third base and the outfield.
For Boston, the fit is not exactly clean. Caleb Durbin is already in place at third, and the Red Sox have a surplus of outfield talent.
A move would make more sense if the roster shifted elsewhere, such as Curtis Mead moving to designated hitter and Durbin sliding to second base. Another path would be a trade, like dealing Jarren Duran, which could open up room for another outfielder in the DH mix.
The appeal, though, is obvious: Sato brings power. Boston needs it.
The question is how much that power should cost. Bowden’s five-year, $180 million projection feels aggressive, especially when compared with recent Japanese stars.
He mentioned Alex Bregman and Matt Chapman as value comps, but Munetaka Murakami may be the better one. Murakami was posted ahead of the 2026 season after hitting .286/.392/.659 with 24 home runs and 52 RBIs in 69 games in 2025, and he had dealt with injuries.
Even so, he was one of the most feared sluggers in Japan, including a 56-homer season back in 2022.
Murakami still landed a two-year, $34 million deal from the Chicago White Sox. He’s also nearly a full year younger than Sato. That makes Bowden’s number look rich, and if Sato does come close to that figure, Boston probably shouldn’t be the team writing the check.
At the same time, the market could get pushed higher if the Yankees and Red Sox are both serious. Murakami’s deal looked too low, Bowden’s projection for Sato looks too high, and the real number may end up somewhere in between. With both clubs showing interest, this is the kind of free-agent race that could get lively fast.
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