The Cubs have every reason to look at Teruaki Sato and see a fit at first glance. He’s coming off a monster season with Hanshin, and the kind of power he showed in Japan is exactly the sort of bat that can change a lineup fast.
Sato’s 2026 season with the Hanshin Tigers was as loud as it gets: a .306/.383/.609 slash line, a .991 OPS, 39 home runs and 106 RBI in 143 games. He also won the Triple Crown. For a Cubs offense that managed just one run in the NL Wild Card round while getting swept by the San Diego Padres in two games, that kind of production naturally turns heads.
But the deeper you dig, the less clean the fit looks.
Sato is a third baseman who can also handle right field, and that’s where the Cubs run into the problem. Alex Bregman is at third base, and Michael Busch is holding down first. Some clubs might consider shifting Sato to first, but he has never played that position before.
Right field is the more realistic path, especially if Seiya Suzuki leaves in free agency. Even then, Chicago would be choosing risk over certainty. The Cubs could target Sato, but if they’re thinking about that spot, the cleaner move would be bringing Suzuki back.
That’s because Suzuki has already shown what he can do in Chicago. In 143 games last season, he hit .270/.368/.473 with an .841 OPS, 26 homers, 86 RBI and a 5.1 bWAR.
He also posted five Outs Above Average in right field in 2026, which was fifth among MLB right fielders. Since arriving with the Cubs in 2022, Suzuki has done nothing but hit, while also giving them a strong glove and throwing arm.
There’s another layer to the concern with Sato, too. He’s 27 and still unproven at the major league level, and he carried a 27 percent strikeout rate across the last two seasons in the NPB.
That number could climb in MLB. Suzuki’s strikeout rate in 2026 was 24.4 percent.
So while Sato will absolutely draw attention this winter, and the Cubs could have interest, the roster picture points in another direction. Beyond pitching, keeping Suzuki should be the top offseason priority in Chicago. If the Cubs replace him with Sato, they’d be asking him to play out of position in right field while betting on an untested bat against major league pitching.
In Other News...
Cubs May Have A New Outfield Factor In Future Trade Plans
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Sorrells rise matters because Chicago already has several outfield prospects ahead of him, and that crowding could eventually shape how the club handles its roster. If he keeps moving forward, the Cubs may have to decide whether to keep stockpiling young outfield talent or use some of that depth to address other needs. That is where names like Kane Kepley and Ethan Conrad enter the conversation, with Sorrells development adding another layer to the teams longer-term trade planning. [Read more 🡒]
Craig Counsell Just Raised A Tough Nico Hoerner Question
Nico Hoerners 2026 season has put a familiar Cubs debate back in the spotlight, even if the organization does not sound alarmed by it. After a career-best 2025, Hoerners offense dipped noticeably this year, with his batting average and OPS+ both moving the wrong way, a reminder that his value has never been built on loud production alone. Craig Counsell recently pointed to the way Hoerner plays the game as part of the explanation, suggesting his results can swing heavily with fortune because of how much of his profile lives in contact and execution.
The Cubs, though, do not appear interested in tinkering with what makes Hoerner effective. They continue to trust the consistency of his approach and do not plan to change his mechanics or style, even with the numbers trending down from last season. For Chicago, the real question is whether this is just the kind of offensive variance that comes with Hoerners game, or the start of a longer stretch where the results keep lagging behind the process. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Still Have One Real Reason For Hope After 2026 Collapse
The Cubs had all the ingredients for a frustrating 2026 season, from repeated losing streaks and injuries to a rotation and bullpen that never quite settled in. Even with the offense leading baseball in runs, the inconsistency on the mound kept Chicago from turning production into the kind of year it expected, which made the late stretch feel like a long exercise in what-ifs.
Pete Crow-Armstrongs National League MVP season gave the club a centerpiece, but the broader reason for optimism was what held up behind him. Chicago finished at the top of the league in defensive runs saved and fielding percentage, with several players surfacing as Gold Glove finalists, giving the Cubs a foundation they can actually trust as they head into 2027. [Read more 🡒]