The Mets’ offseason search for infield help could lead them across the Pacific, and Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato is already on the radar.
Baseball insider Jon Heyman reported that the Mets are “scouting and considering” Sato, a 27-year-old infielder who just put together a monster season for the Hanshin Tigers. Sato won NPB Central League MVP honors in 2025 after blasting 40 home runs, and he’s hitting .318 with 27 homers so far this season.
The fit is obvious on paper. New York has questions at both first base and third if Bo Bichette opts out, and David Stearns needs to keep an open mind as the winter approaches. A player who can help cover both spots would give the Mets some real flexibility, especially with the infield lacking power right now.
Heyman’s report assumes Bichette will opt in, which would leave first base as the clearest opening for Sato. That’s where the Mets’ internal options start to look thin. Jared Young has been handling first every day, while Jorge Polanco has been stuck at designated hitter because of lingering Achilles’ tendon issues.
That setup doesn’t exactly scream long-term answer. Banking on Polanco to take over first next season feels shaky given his track record, and Young’s best role still looks more like a bench bat and platoon piece than a full-time starter for a team trying to contend in 2027.
The rest of the group doesn’t solve much either. Brett Baty and Gabriel Arias don’t profile as everyday first basemen, and Mark Vientos is trying to return from a hand injury after a rough audition at first earlier in the year. The Mets are likely to move away from counting on him as a major part of their 2027 plans.
Sato’s profile also comes at a time when MLB teams may be rethinking how they evaluate Japanese power bats. The comparison here is Munetaka Murakami, a slugging third baseman whom most clubs projected as a first baseman. Teams talked themselves out of signing Murakami, and that missed opportunity could make clubs more aggressive with Sato.
Stearns has already made multiple scouting trips to Japan, so this is not some sudden one-off look. If the Hanshin Tigers post Sato this offseason, the Mets should be in the mix.
They won’t be alone. Heyman also linked the Dodgers, Phillies and Yankees to Sato, which means New York could end up in a real bidding war if it decides he’s the best answer to its first base issue.
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