The clock on Teruaki Sato’s free agency just got a lot tighter, and that matters plenty for the Mets.
Sato, one of New York’s top offseason possibilities, was officially posted by the Hanshin Tigers on November 1, which opened a 45-day window for him and other Japanese free agents to reach a deal with a major league club. But that timeline no longer comes with the same flexibility it once did.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Monday that MLB will not let Japanese free agents stop their negotiating windows when the league enters its expected lockout on December 1. For Sato, that means the deadline is now 11:59 p.m. ET on December 1.
That is a sharp turn from the 2021 lockout, when MLB adjusted its agreement with NPB and allowed Japanese players to pause their windows until the labor issue was settled.
The change adds another layer of urgency to an offseason that already feels chaotic. It’s not yet clear how many free agents will get deals done before December 1, but the expectation is that players will try to lock in contracts before a potentially long shutdown.
For David Stearns, the pressure only grows. If Sato is truly on the Mets’ short list, this new deadline forces a faster decision than the team may have preferred.
Stearns did travel to Japan in September to watch Sato play, and the visit clearly left an impression. That day, Sato hit his 32nd home run of the season.
Sato spent last season strictly at third base and in the outfield for the Tigers, which doesn’t line up neatly with the Mets’ current positional needs. Still, plenty of people around the game believe his best fit in the majors would be at first base, similar to Munetaka Murakami.
That move would come with a learning curve, but the bat is the selling point. After winning his first Central League MVP in 2025, Sato followed with a monster 2026 season and became the first player in Japan to win the Triple Crown since Murakami in 2022. In 143 games, he hit .306/.383/.609 with 39 home runs, 40 doubles, and 106 RBIs.
At 27, he has a case as the best position-player free agent on the market. For a Mets team that badly needs offense, that kind of impact is hard to ignore.
New York got the fifth-worst production from first base in 2026, finishing with a .690 OPS there. The offense as a whole was underwhelming too, with the Mets scoring just 699 runs, which ranked 21st in the majors.
A lineup with Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Bo Bichette, Carson Benge, and Sato would look a whole lot deeper.
The problem, of course, is the price. The Mets can spend with anyone, but their payroll is already north of $250 million. Sato is expected to command a deal approaching $100 million, and that would be another major commitment with plenty of other holes still to fill.
New York still needs two starting pitchers, including at least one frontline arm. Tarik Skubal and Michael King are among the most attractive names available, though both are likely to cost far more than Sato.
With the lockout deadline now looming, the Mets lose the luxury of dragging this one out. If Stearns believes Sato can be the difference-maker, the time to act is now.
In Other News...
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For the Mets, it is another reminder of how quickly the margins can turn over in the offseason. Brujn never made a major impact in New York, and after his time with the club he chose free agency, opening the door for another return to the Braves organization. It is not a move that changes the balance of power, but it does speak to how Atlanta continues to stockpile familiar, low-risk options as the winter gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
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In 1968, the Mets were part of a Rookie of the Year battle of their own, with pitcher Jerry Koosman going up against Reds catcher Johnny Bench. That race ended with Koosman finishing second in the voting, and it remains one of those old baseball debates that still lingers in Mets lore. This years version may not be quite as tangled, but with Benge and Stewart both making convincing arguments, it has enough of that same autumn buzz to keep the discussion going. [Read more 🡒]